One Piece: Full Throttle!
by Yajuu-Kikuishi
Summary: A story of revenge, a story of progress and a story of nakama loyalty. Delve into the One Piece universe as you join a pirate on his journey to the Grand Line and Beyond.
1. Information

**One Piece: Full Throttle!**

_I'll still be accepting characters until the first saga comes to an end, so plenty of time for anyone wanting a late entry into the story._

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Height:**

**Appearance:**

**Brief History: **(A small paragraph will do initially, if I need to delve any further then I shall contact you!)

**Powers/Abilities: **(E.g. Devil Fruit, Haki etc)

**Weapons: **(If any at all)

**Affiliation: **(E.g. Pirate, Marine, bounty hunter etc.)

**Personality:**

**Other Information: **(Anything that doesn't fit into the above categories.)

_Feel free to add any other sections if you need to (Like a rank if you are in the marines or crew position if you are making your own crew) and I shall be accepting every character that is sent to me unless I feel that they in someway overturn the One Piece mythos or that they are too ridiculous. As for Devil Fruit abilities, they will all have to be original because in this story Devil Fruits do not reappear after a user's death. Well, when I say it has to be original it means that it cannot copy a Devil Fruit seen in the Canon manga storyline from chapters 1 – 597. Any questions shoot me a PM or post it in a review…which is exactly how you can send me your character; via a PM or just post them as a review to this submission._

_Thanks for listening and I hope to see some awesome characters come my way!_


	2. Enter the Captain

_A/N: First of all I hope you all had a great Christmas and enjoyed any gifts you received (I got what I wanted so I'm happy) and as of the moment this first chapter is submitted (For me anyways) it is 2011, so I hope you all have a great new year as well! So…_

_Welcome, dear readers, to my brand new story "One Piece: Full Throttle!" Hopefully you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. So I shall now introduce to you the four part introduction arc; Good Times…!_

**Enter the Captain.**

**20 years before the story starts, somewhere in the New World…**

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk clunk.

The heavy boots thudded against the interlocking planks beneath them, the wearer stopping just short of a large door in front of him. The door stood nearly twice as tall as him and was adorned with gold rivets and a pair of crossed Arabian sabre's carved into the centre. The new arrival had white hair, shaved on the side of his head but swept back on the top, and his eyes were a dull black. He was wearing a denim jacket, the inside covered in sheep's fur, over a bare chest, plain black trousers covered his legs and ran down to his heavy duty boots he wore on his feet. On his back, attached to a leather harness, were two swords hanging upside down so that the hilts were pointed towards the floor.

He looked up at the door and sighed before raising his hand and clenching it into a fist, suddenly pounding on the door. He knocked four times to no avail and was about to start up again when he noticed a woman resting against the wall to his right and looking at him with amusement in her eyes.

"You got something to say Lisa?" he grunted as he lowered his hand and turned to face her.

A wry smile snuck onto her lips and she pushed herself off the wall before stepping over to the man. "If you're trying to talk to the Captain, you know it's not going to work. He always does this before we start. Eh, Razor?"

Lisa was a couple of inches shorter then Razor, her vivid orange hair framing her face and hanging down to her shoulders as her ice blue eyes stared at her crewmate. She wore a tight black top, over moderate sized breasts, that circled her neck but left her back bare, a belt of gold encased jewels hung around her hips at a jaunty angle and loose fitting black 3/4 lengths hung down to the straw sandals on her feet. She stood there with one leg slightly bent and her thumbs resting on the edge of her belt, looking up at Razor while she waited for a reply.

"I know that…I just heard that he wants to meet all the section commanders and wanted to make sure it's true before moving out." Razor said, his arms now crossed across his muscled chest.

"It's true, weren't you listening yesterday when we went over this?"

"We went over this?"

"Glad to know you were paying attention, he wants to meet us all in the map room before we all head off."

"Fine. I'll see you there then." And with that he stalked off leaving the amused Lisa to chuckle to herself lightly before disappearing down the corridor where she had come from.

Razor trudged back the way he had come, slightly annoyed that he had bumped into Lisa at that particular point. He quickly navigated the maze of hallways with experienced steps before he appeared outside a door with a map carved into the wood. This signified the map room. He pushed to door lightly with his palm and entered to room while glancing around; noticing that only one of the other section commanders had beaten him there.

The room was quite large, but the roof was low giving the impression the whole room had been squashed from roof to floor. In the centre of the room, taking up most of the space, was a large wooden globe with every place that they had been carved into the wood. Most noticeably being the straight of the Grand line and its perpendicular partner the red line.

The other section commander was sat in the corner on a barrel, his legs drawn up and crossed beneath him. His looks were completely covered by shadow but that wasn't from the room, it emanated from the man in smoke like swirls, giving away only the basic outline of a human sitting there.

"Zion." Razor said with a nod of his head before taking a seat on one of the benches that ran along the length of the walls.

Zion didn't reply but a slight movement of his head told Razor that he was acknowledged.

A couple of minutes passed and then the door to the map room swung in again, revealing a figure standing in the doorway. The man, the only thing identifying him as such being the beginnings of a beard growing on his chin, stepped into the room and the door swung shut behind him. He was of average height, his chest quiet large and his shoulders broad, he wore a hooded top with a skull on the chest, with angel wings sprouting from the sides, with the hood up and covering his hair and a pair of mirrored sun glasses covering his eyes. He wore blue coloured trousers and a pair of standard leather boots, over the top he wore a black overcoat that hung down to just below his knees.

"Riku, you heard then I take it?" Razor asked but received no reply as Riku walked silently over to the wall and took a seat not quite opposite him, his head resting back against the wood. "Oh right, you don't talk."

Another short time passed and once again the door to the map room swung open to reveal two figures standing there. The first one was so tall that he had to duck down to avoid smacking his head on the door frame and the second stood head and shoulders below him.

The large man had muscles bulging across his chest and arms and it seemed that his legs were trying to escape from the tight brown trousers he was wearing, his large feet trying to follow suite out of the black shoes. His brown hair was cut short and his eyes were a matching pair. His chest was bare except for a thick leather bandoleer running diagonally across with a large double headed axe dangling close to the floor. He stepped further into the room to allow space for the second man to slip in behind.

The brightness of the second mans blonde hair was in stark contrast to the brown of the first but his eyes were near identical. His hair was long and he had tied it up in a pony tail that flopped about halfway down his back. He was wearing a white vest that showed off unimpressive looking arms and blue trousers that hung loosely around his legs; he wore no socks, only a pair of slip on black shoes that showed the top of his feet. A strange addition to his attire was a brown leather holster hanging from his right hip, it had a circle shaped head and was about 8 inches deep, an assortment of knives rested in it with the handles uppermost, ready for him to grab in a moments notice.

Razor stood up and moved his way across the room, coming face to face with the new arrivals. "Ruther…" he said, nodding at the tall man. "…and Mojaye. What are you two wandering around together for?"

Ruther ignored him and instead glanced around at Zion and Riku who were sitting silently in their respective positions, both of their attire making it near impossible to see if they were looking at them. "We weren't wandering around together; we bumped into each other outside the door." Mojaye butted in, scratching the back of his neck as he did so. "So where's the Captain then, he hasn't already started has he?"

"No." Razor replied, watching Ruther step across the room and drop to the floor, crossing his legs in front of him. "His door was still locked when I left it earlier."

"Good to know, wouldn't want him disappearing while we all gather down here now would we." He chuckled to himself and then wandered to the side of the room to take a seat.

Just before Razor could move back to his seat, the door opened again and yet another man walked into the room. The man stood no taller then Razor, in fact slightly smaller, but had a similar presence to him. He wore a leather vest type garment that flashed his arms and chest as well as tight black leather trousers and boots to match. His hair was black with a strange sheen that seemed to reflect the light of the room and his eyes were a strangely bright green colour.

"What does the Captain want now!" he moaned as the door shut behind him. "I was just about to go and join in the fun!"

"Now, now Jigan; as Lisa likes to remind me, he's done this before every time. Nothing new happening here." Razor said with a disapproving look.

"So, I think this is a little bigger then all the rest of the times." And with that he dismissed the conversation with a wave of his hand and took a spot standing in the corner, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

A second later and two more people entered the room, the first was the orange haired Lisa and behind her was a strangely dressed man. The most notable thing was the brown cowboy hat that he wore on his head that only showed a sliver of his black hair escaping onto the back of his neck. He had square shaped glasses propped onto the end of his nose that covered blue eyes and a strange look upon his face. He wore a loose fitting white cotton top with all the buttons undone to reveal his chest, but the ends were tucked into a turquoise sash that he had tied around his waist; the excess material dangling off on his right. He wore blue trousers rolled up to just below the knees and wooden clogs on his feet that clanked against the wooden boards under them.

"Finally managed to drag Doctor away from those bloody books he keeps reading." Lisa said as she moved into the room and slumped into a strange egg shaped chair to the right of the door. "Luckily the Captain always takes his time before getting here."

"Those 'bloody books' you refer to are important to my job as Doctor of this crew!" Doctor said with an annoyed look on his face.

"Important indeed…" Lisa retorted with a snicker. "You need to read them because you aren't actually a doctor!"

"I'll have you find that the Captain appointed me Doctor because…"

"Because he thought it was a laugh considering your name is 'Doctor'!" Lisa interrupted with a laugh. "Oh well, he's the only one we are waiting for now."

Doctor took that as the end of the conversation and stomped over to the bench that Riku was sat on and slammed down on it, causing Riku to move his head in his direction. Doctor ignored him and crossed his arms in defiance of Lisa's ridicule.

"Speaking of the Captain, he finished yet?" Razor said while he moved back to his seat.

"When I passed his room he was on the last verse so he should be here soon, we'll just have to relax until he appears." Just as Lisa spoke the whole room shook and dust fell from the roof.

"Should be no trouble at all!" Doctor snorted and shook his head in disgust.

x+x+x+x+x

The young girl's fingers flew over the keys like she had been playing for a hundred years, expertly softening the sound when needed or making it sharp and snappy. She was sat at a large white grand piano, her eyes closed and her hands playing with no effort required on her part. Her left hand steadily pressing chords and her right hand shooting out the melody as her right foot softened the sound every now and again.

Suddenly she slowed right down and she let each note settle into the air before moving onto the next one and ringing that one out into room. After exactly a minute she played the last chord and let it hang in the air before removing her hands from the piano and sliding her chair around to face the other way.

"Absolutely brilliant as always Sarah, I don't know what I'd do without you." A voice said, coming from the back of a large backed chair. "Now go and join the others, I have something to do before I join you."

The girl called Sarah, slid of her seat and swiftly moved to a small doorway set in the wall, disappearing behind it and leaving the owner of the voice all on his own. The voice was calm and calculating, something about it radiating the aura of a leader, a voice that people would listen to without hesitation.

It belonged to a man, that much was clear. He was wearing high boots that stopped just below his knees and had an overhang that covered the top of the boots with a triangle of leather cut out to reveal the course leather straps that held the boots on his feet. Baggy white trousers covered his legs and he had tucked the bottoms into his boots to keep them from dragging along the floor. A wide leather belt was wrapped around his waist, 3 smaller straps tucked into golden buckles keeping it tight. His chest was muscled and covered with a tight black t-shirt from which the sleeves had been torn off to show off muscled arms. Over the top of the t-shirt was plate armour that covered his chest and abdomen, stopping just above the belt and strapped to his chest via a set of leather straps that connected at his back. A large metal shoulder guard rested on his right shoulder, attached via a leather strap running to his left hip. Both his arms were bare except for a steel forearm guard strapped to his left arm.

His hair was a chestnut brown that he kept swept back and reached the centre of his back in length, his eyes were crystal blue and were currently staring into nothingness. Suddenly he jumped up out of his seat and stretched of his arms quickly before grabbing a long coat with a high collar and folded back cuffs, which he hung over his shoulders like a cape.

He strode across the room with long legged strides and unlocked a door which stood even taller then his lanky frame. With identical confidence as Razor had earlier, he navigated the many halls with long ingrained knowledge; never once giving the impression he was lost. Within a couple of minutes he arrived outside the map room door, stopping for a second to listen to the silence before swinging the door open and stepping into the room dramatically.

"I have arrived…" Kai said, smiling widely to the gathered section commanders.

_A/N: and there we go, part 1 of 4 of the introduction arc; Good times…! Hope you enjoyed it a keep an eye out for part 2 being released! Ta ra for now people!_


	3. Warlord of the Sea!

_A/N: Ready your britches people, part 2/4 of my introductory arc. Continuing on directly where the previous chapter finished. Read on my dear readers and I hope you enjoy it!_

**Warlord of the Sea!**

"I have arrived…!" Kai said dramatically, sweeping into the room with his arms spread wide as if he were presenting himself on a theatre stage. He held the pose for a couple of seconds before dropping his arms and dropped his shoulders. "Not the reaction I was hoping for…" he muttered before resting an arm on the door frame and pretending to cry into it. This lasted for another couple of seconds, as the Section Commanders remained stationary, before he sniffed loudly and returned to his upright position.

Kai walked further into the room and waited as the door swung slowly shut behind him before the clunk of wood on wood informed him it was closed. He turned his head to the left and gazed at Ruther, who was still sprawled across the floor, and then turned his gaze on each Section Commander for a couple of seconds before speaking again.

"As you know, our current enemy is one of great power…" he started, his voice emanating the seriousness of the situation "The Shichibukai, Resker Klan. Someone so powerful that he makes marine admirals shake in their boots, he makes the Yonkou nervous as to their positions, he shows the world that no-one is safe no matter how powerful you are." He paused as the room shook again and more dust floated through the air.

"However, this doesn't mean that we cannot crush him into nothingness." A strange ferociousness escaped into his voice and he paused to compose himself before speaking again. "Sorry about that. So Resker Klan thinks he can take me, take us down! We'll show him that we are not to be trifled with, we'll show him that the Yonkou hold nothing to us, we'll show him that you mess with The Golden Age, you…get…crushed!" he roared the last words and punched his fist into the air, and then paused as nothing happened, he lowered his arm slowly and looked around at the gathered pirates. "You know, I was expecting some sort of cheer to that."

Razor stood up from his bench position and crossed his arms on his chest, a small smile creeping onto his lips. "A rousing speech indeed Captain, but save it for the troops. We're clever enough to realise when the odds are against us."

"The odds are against us!" Doctor said with an incredulous look on his face. "That's a bit of an understatement Razor, this guy is one of the only guys on the sea's to have not only faced Whitebeard and survived but also to injure him!"

"Come now Doctor, you know the power of our Captain." Ruther said, his deep voice resonating around the room.

"Yeah, like hell Resker could take him and we all know it, right Captain!" Jigan said, giving a low fist pump as he spoke.

"It would seem that way indeed, Jigan." Kai said with a pondering look in his face. "I guess there is only one way to figure it out. To the deck!" he cried and pointed behind him, out of the door, before moving off on himself, the Section Commanders scrabbling to catch up with him.

He strode quickly through the corridors and soon arrived at the base of a long staircase leading up to a solitary door at the top. He paused momentarily to allow the commanders to catch up and as soon as the last in line, Zion, stopped walking he carried on. A light jog took Kai up the stairs and when he reached the top he delivered a raised his boot and opened the door with the heel of his foot.

As soon as the door opened it was as if someone had suddenly pressed the mute button a second time and turned the volume to full. There were cries and shouts, screams and roars, the sounds of splintering wood and screeching of metal on metal. A cannon ball barrelled its way across the deck and Kai had to step to one side to avoid losing a leg, it passed by the group of commanders and ripped apart the door they had just exited.

"Look guys, it's the Captain and the commanders!" a man cried just as another cannon ball smashed into his back and tore him from his perch. Many of the crew now turned and cheered as Kai and the rest of them walked through the centre of the chaos, ignoring the fighting around them and proceeding across the deck towards the bow of the ship, glancing around and watching the fighting that was scattered across, not only their ship, but the ships of the enemy.

The nine of them walked forward and reached the edge of the bow, just behind the prow. Kai didn't hesitate and jumped up onto the prow, which was a massive curved blade similar to the ones carved onto his door, and grabbed a hold before swinging out and hanging forward over the sea. The others all jumped up onto the barriers and balanced themselves so that anyone looking at the front of the ship could see all 9 of them at once.

One person was indeed looking a the front of the ship from the deck of his own ship, which was just as huge, the majority of his body hidden below a striped umbrella poised above the deck chair he was lounging on. From where Kai was hanging from, all he could see of the man were the hairy legs and the large claw like nails on the end of his toes.

"OI….!" Kai called, cupping one hand around his mouth, the other still stopping him from falling forward. "RESKER, GET YOUR SLIMEY LITTLE BUTT OUT HERE!" he roared, the commanders looking at him with disdain. "DON'T MAKE ME COME DOWN THERE AND DRAG YOU OUT!"

"Chehehehehehe…" the laugh was strange and echoed out from under the umbrella and seemed to come from someone with a bad throat. The legs swivelled around and touched the wooden deck lightly, the dull clicking of the hard nails rattling. As he moved to stand up his hand dropped to the floor and reached under the deck chair, pulling out a massive basterd sword.

The sword was nearly as tall as he was which was tall, and was decorated in silver and black. The handle was long enough for three hands and was lacquered in black with a silver globe as the pommel. Its guard was a simple bar of silver with the ends curving slightly upwards, towards the blade, and ended in small silver globules. Finally, the blade was hidden by a shiny black scabbard with a silver tip.

Resker stood out into the open and revealed himself to the gathered Golden Age pirates, showing that it wasn't just his reputation that was impressive. He stood tall, nearly twice as tall as Ruther, and his massive sword was next to him, tip resting on the ground and his long arms resting on the guard so that Resker was leaning on it for support. He was wearing nothing at all except for a pair of black swimming shorts that dropped to his knees and fastened around his waist with a white cord.

He was skinny but his muscled were pronounced enough that he looked good showing them off, and his lanky body stood with a steely determination. The nails on his feet and left hand were grotesquely long and his skin was a pale white colour as if he spent too much time indoors. The hairs on his legs were long and black and a fine film of blonde hair was visible on his arms. His chest was completely smooth except for a small triangle of black hair near his collarbone and pointing downwards.

His hair was pure white and was swept backwards, running down his back and touching the top of his shorts. He sported a long white beard that was so long he had actually wrapped it round his waist a couple of times.

"Chehehehe." He laughed again and his blue eyes looked up at Kai who was still hanging from the sword prow of his ship. "Well, well, I never thought you'd actually show up now." He said, his voice a coarse whisper but still clearly audible over the noise of battle.

"You think I would chicken out in a fight against you Resker?" Kai countered with a large smile on his face.

"Not at all, I just didn't think you'd bring all your Section Commanders as back up."

"Pfft, dream on. These guys aren't going to be helping me; they're going to be pounding the crap out of the rest of your crew."

"Come then, the real fight starts now." As he spoke a gunshot rung out beside him and Kai leant his head to the left as a bullet passed by, splintering against a mast.

Resker turned slowly to face a small man standing next to him, a pistol raised and pointed towards Kai. The man's eyes were wide and he was panting heavily, he turned to face Resker and dropped to his knees.

"I'm…sorr…" before he could finish his body was flung backwards and buried into the wall behind him, the long black shaft of Resker's sword dug deep into his head.

Resker removed the sword and placed it back where it was, using it as a cane of sorts. "I apologise for that, my other subordinates are not as disobedient."

"No problem, Resker." Kai paused and turned to face his hooded crew member. "Riku, throw us some cover."

Riku nodded and for a moment nothing happened, then small tendrils of something light blue escaped out of the edges of his sun glasses. A deep rumbling filled the air and the waves that had been relatively calm suddenly grew choppier, knocking the ships from side to side. A sharp snap cracked through the air and then the whole area lit up with a blinding flash. Black clouds seemingly appeared out of nowhere and lightning could be seen shooting between them.

The winds picked up and the sea grew even angrier, making people grab a hold of things to stop them being bucked from the ship. The sky was now completely dark but was periodically lit up by the flashes of lighting, each time getting closer and closer to the fleet of ships below it. Then just as it seemed it was calming down, the clouds to the left and right of the battle were twisted out of shape and violently spun around; creating whirlwinds that connected and arced towards the water.

Consecutively, the sea around them, although already violent, spun in circles and soon they were surrounded by whirlpools as well which connected with the whirlwinds and created massive vortex's of death.

As this happened the flickering around Riku's glasses faded and he once more returned to his stoic self. He looked completely at ease in the roaring storms.

Kai cried out in gleeful excitement and roared into the sky as lightning flashed and thunder crashed. It made him ecstatic to be fighting in such an atmosphere. He turned around so that he was dangling backwards, his back towards the sea, and looked at each of his commanders in turn.

"Take your pick, my friends!" he cried and spread his free hand wide, indicating the other ships in Resker's fleet. "Take them and show them that they do not mess with us."

"What about Resker, Captain?" Razor roared over the noise.

Kai's smile seemed to grow even larger at the question. "Resker…" he pondered and turned around again so that he was facing the Shichibukai. "He's all mine." And looked down with excitement in his eyes.

Resker looked up at Kai with amusement on his lips as a small grin started to escape onto his aged and wrinkled face.

_A/N: A~nd done! 2 down, 2 to go. So an infamous Shichibukai is introduced, Resker Klan, the weird old man. :) So, just hold your breath in anticipation and Part 3 will make its introduction!_


	4. Close to War

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews people! Part 3 of 4 of the introduction is on. Not quite carrying on exactly where the last chapter left off but you're only missing a few minutes of story, :) nothing to worry about, right? Anyway, read on readers! (Lucky you by the way, this is an extra long chapter!)_

**Close to War.**

Riku had left the main ship where Kai and rest of them had confronted the Shichibukai, Resker Klan, and was now quickly walking along the deck of his personal ship. It was smaller then the main ship but was still big enough that he had to have 50 crew members running around and making sure nothing broke and everything worked.

A flash of lightning illuminated the sky and Riku's ship was bathed in its light. It was a standard ship in the way of build but it was painted a matt black, the sails made of black fabric with Riku's personal Jolly Roger on the front; a skull with angel wings sprouting from it, as well as his Kai's Jolly Roger smaller below it. Riku was now stood at the head of the ship, resting a hand on the railing.

There was still a large amount of Kai's fleet and Resker's fleet battling it out while trying to avoid being sucked into the whirlpools that Riku had created and bullets, cannonballs and debris was flying the air. The rain was pounding down hard and the thunder rumbled loudly, followed by the flash of lightning.

Riku was staring at a ship much bigger then his own, nearly 4 times the size with masses of pirates gathered on the deck and waiting on the railing to board his smaller ship and wreck it; except that they were completely underestimating the scope of Riku's power. As the ship drew closer, the enemies started to throw grappling hooks attached to ropes at his ship but whenever they got close they suddenly plummeted to the water below.

This happened numerous times before the crew worked out something was wrong, especially when they noticed their ship had stopped moving and was starting to actually move backwards; their sails blowing the wrong way. It was then that one of them looked down at his arms and realised that his hairs were starting to stand up on end.

"Hey…hey, guys?" he said, worry sneaking into his voice. The ones nearest to him were looking at him strangely and then looked down at their own arms.

"What the hell?"

"What's happening here?"

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap…"

Now all of them were starting to panic, calling out in fear and trying to jump clear of the ship only to be pushed back by a mysterious force; like a strong wind or something. Then one of them screamed in pain as a small tendril of lightning crept along the metal blade of his sword and lashed out at the skin on his arm, ripping and burning the flesh away from the bone.

The screams started quickly as more lightning flashed along any metal that was bare to the air, even arcing between bodies, searing the flesh. Again and again the pirates tried to abandon ship but could not push past the windy barrier. One of the pirates bared the pain long enough to look up to the sky but he soon wished that he hadn't.

Arcs of lightning were coming from different parts of the sky and converging on a single point above the massive ship, condensing into some sort of sphere made up of super charged electrical energy. His eyes widened in fear for a millisecond before he was reduced to ashes along with the rest of that particular crew.

A massive lightning bolt, nearly 5 times bigger then a normal one crashed down from the sky and entered the ship through the exact centre. It tore through the wood with no trouble at all and then exploded with such ferocity that bits of the ship disappeared into the sky never to be seen again.

Riku watched with a bland face, with maybe a hint of satisfaction as the ship was obliterated into nothingness. His own little crew all cheered and one particular man jumped up onto the railing and screamed at nothing it particular.

"Screw you!"

"Well, that's not very nice is it?" A voice suddenly said and Riku's crew dropped into silence.

A man was standing in the centre of the now wrecked ship, the water below him as smooth as stone and any debris that came within 5 feet of him rolled away and into the sea. The sea was wild with the storm but as soon as a wave went to hit the man it suddenly disappeared into the flat water below him.

Riku scowled and hopped up onto the railing in front of him, ready to confront this new arrival.

x+x+x+x+x

Razor was also on his own ship now that the initial confrontation with Resker was over. His ship was quite small, being controlled by only 10 people, and had no distinguishing marks it at all. He liked it to be anonymous and it also allowed him to get a new one with no worries should it get destroyed. The only thing he added to any ship he brought was his Jolly Roger, the grinning skull with two vertical swords behind it, handles up, and below that a smaller version of Kai's Jolly Roger.

He too, like Riku, was now facing a ship much bigger then his own, the comparison even more terrifying then in Riku's case. Razor wasn't worried though he knew that when compared to Riku his power was unstoppable. He turned quickly and jumped up onto the small box that surrounded the base of the centre mast and didn't waste time as he scaled it by grabbing a hold of rigging ropes and pulling himself upwards. Seconds later he arrived at the top of the mast, above the flapping pirate flag, and stood unflinching on the tip of wood.

He reached down slowly and unlocked his swords from their scabbards, letting them fall downwards before gripping them by their very tips. With a flick of his wrist he threw them into the air and they flipped a few times before he caught them in his hands. He turned his body so that he was side on to the approaching ship and moved his arms so both of his swords were resting against his far leg; the one furthest away from the ship.

"Primo Circhia…" he said and strange sort of energy covered the metal blades of his swords. "…Furia!" he roared and leapt straight up into the air. As he rose up he spun vertically and his two blades passed through a complete circle before he landed back as he started, except his blades were now held at 90o to his body. Where the blades had passed through the air a light blue arc had appeared, as if someone had sketched a circle into the air, and it hovered just in front of Razor's ship as he spun again, this time horizontally.

A second sketched circle appeared and melded into the second one and as soon as its far side touched the far side of the vertical circle it shot forward towards the enemies. As it flew forward it also grew massive, covering a foot in every direction so that it was bigger then the ship itself. It touched the wood and began sawing through it with jagged motions and was through to the other side in less than 30 seconds where the circles disappeared into thin air.

There were screams and shouts from the crew as their ship was suddenly split into quarters and as it started to fall into the ocean, Razor appeared on the far side with his blades crossed in front of him. He landed on a stray piece of wood from an already destroyed ship and bounced back the other direction with a back flip, his swords moving fast before he landed back where he had started on his own ship.

The screams and shouts became silent and a second passed before every separate piece of wood, metal, piece of ship and falling people were sliced into thousands of small cubes. It fell into the sea with a million splashes before Razor jumped back down to his deck and sheathed his swords with a swift spinning action. He gave a high five to one of his crew and then sat down by a barrel at the head of his ship.

"Uh, sir." One of his crew said and pointed out to sea, where Razor had just destroyed the ship. Razor stood up slowly and turned to reveal a man standing on a part of the mast that was bobbing up and down in the waves. He had a rapier sword on his left hip. Razor's eyes suddenly became serious and he clenched his teeth.

"Go inside." He said to his crew and they didn't hesitate as they ran down into the small rooms below deck. Razor reached behind him and hooked out his swords again, holding them loosely in his hands.

x+x+x+x+x

Lisa's ship was average sized but it was very long and although large masts were down the centre, a large amount of oars were pointing out the sides. At the moment they were fighting the waves in an attempt to prevent the ship from capsizing due to the storm. Above the central mast was a black flag with Kai's Jolly Roger on one side and Lisa's animal skull Jolly Roger on the other.

Lisa herself was pacing up and down the central aisle calling out encouragement to her rowers who were struggling against the waves. As she reached the bow she looked out and picked a ship at random, choosing it to be the one she destroyed. As she gripped the rail in front of here, her hand elongated and transformed into 3 large claws and a shorter one where her thumb had been.

She smiled and the launched herself over the side and towards the sea. As she fell she initiated her full transformation and her body twisted and stretched until she was longer then her ship. Her body was now covered in green scales and dark orange spines ran down her back with wicked sharp teeth protruding from her jaw. She flew across the surface of the water, grinning viciously and growling through the gap in her teeth.

As her dragon figure arose as though from the sea, the crew of her target thought a demon had been summoned as the majority straight up abandoned their ship. Lisa was not merciful though and threaded across the deck and then entwined her body around the central mast. She roared and snapped it into a thousand pieces, rendering the ship practically useless; although in the storm that wasn't much.

She twisted rapidly and then gripped the deck with her claws and smashed the helm into pieces and leant the rest of her body around the edge of the ship. The remaining crew members attempted to attack her body but her scales were impervious to their attacks. She roared again and flames flickered at the back of her throat before spurting forth a column of fire that engulfed the crew and ignited the gunpowder below deck causing the ship to explode in spectacular fashion.

The explosion was nothing to her scaly hide, however, and Lisa sped across the sea again before arriving back at her ship where she flew above it and spun into a circle before transforming back into her human form and landing gracefully on the wooden deck; her crew looked suitably impressed.

Just as all seemed well, a mighty roar filled the area and something appeared in the stormy sky, heading straight towards Lisa and her ship. It crashed into one end and the ship flipped upwards before falling back on itself so the hull was pointing into the sky, Lisa reacted just in time and carefully landed on the slick wood and looked on at the perpetrator that stood before her.

"What the hell are you?" she asked with a look of surprise on her face.

The figure roared again and charged forward, the large horn on its head pointing at Lisa with venom.

x+x+x+x+x

Zion was leaning against the railing on a ship that didn't belong to him; in fact he didn't actually own a ship anyway so it was the only way for him to join in the fun. He was next to Mojaye, who the ship belonged to; there was nothing special about the ship, it was big enough that 30 people needed to be on board to keep it going and on the main sail was Kai's Jolly Roger with Mojaye's one on the smaller front sail; A normal skull in front of crossed knives.

Mojaye was watching another ship approaching his own, the enemies upon it already taking pot shots with their pistols but missing by a number of meters and filling the sea with their bullets. He was flipping a small knife, about as long as a finger, between hands and then span it around his hand before throwing it forward where it knocked a bullet out of the air that would have gotten pretty close to Mojaye's head.

"Terrible shots…" he muttered to himself before turning to Zion "You ready to show them whose boss?"

"Yes." His voice was gravely in comparison with Mojaye's clear, concise one. He stepped forward and rolled his shoulders and then stepped back again, except this time he sunk into the deck up to his knee. He followed this with the other one and then sunk into the shadow until only his head was showing and nodded to Mojaye before disappearing completely.

Mojaye himself shook his head from side to side before turning to a small boy who had come up to him. "Rex, can you go and get my box from my room. You know the big one full of swords?" Rex nodded and scampered off as Mojaye reached into his holster and picked out four knives which he juggled across to his left hand and then drew four more and threaded them so that he held one between each finger. He held them below his waist and waited for the signal from Zion.

Zion stuck his hand out and then pulled himself up so that his head was pocking out of the shadow, a man stood in front of him and was leaning out of the crows nest shooting wildly with his pistol. Zion slowly raised himself up until he was directly behind the man and placed his hands gently on each side of his head. The man froze, and then he died. The vicious twisting motion Zion made snapping his neck and practically putting the head on backwards. Zion looked over at the edge and gave a wave to Mojaye who was looking directly up at him.

Mojaye saw the signal and unleashed the first pair of knives, his arms flashing in front of him and the knives soaring through the air at high speeds. He flashed his arm three more times and sent the rest of the knives flying. He then bent down in front of him and picked up two long sword blades, with no handle, from the box Rex had brought to him and spun his body around to send them spinning towards the enemy ship.

The knives all flew with pinpoint accuracy and cut through the guy ropes attached to the mast and the main sail, and then buried themselves in the chests of people. The force was strong enough that the men were thrown off their feet and the blades long enough that they were dead before they hit the floor. The spinning blades flew away from the ship but arced back before slicing through the two ratlines and then pierced through the helm wheel, rendering it useless. Mojaye never let a blade go to waste when he was throwing.

He then reached down again and pulled out set of eight swords, all joined together by ropes. Mojaye drew the first one and flung it through the air and then followed with the other seven in quick succession before discarding the empty scabbards to the side. He pulled another knife from his holster and held it out to the side for a couple of seconds before flicking it forward in the same direction as the swords had gone.

The swords pierced the mast in certain places and the knife rotated lazily through the air before a hand caught it and Zion moved out of the shadow the central sword had made with the knife grasped in his hand. He raised it above his head and then rammed it into the mast, just below the sword above him. There was a split second where nothing happened and then a mighty crack filled the air and a monstrous split appeared in the wood between the knife and the sword.

The split carried on along the mast like slow motion lightning before settling and left a gash in the wood an inch wide and ranging from the bottom of the mast to the top. The loud noise had caused the crew to turn around and stare at it and then at Zion as he slowly rose out of the ground at the base of the mast. He moved his hand slowly and held it in inch in front of the wood before flicking it.

Nothing happened momentarily and then the mast exploded into tiny fragments and Zion disappeared as the crew hid there faces to avoid injury. Zion reappeared below deck and gently tipped a lantern making it fall of the edge of the barrel it was on and the flame caught a line of gunpowder that ran along the floor. It lit up and travelled fast and it soon reached the massive pile of gunpowder barrels that Zion had set up for this reason. As it exploded, the bright flash cast Zion into a shadow where he melded into it as though it were water.

Mojaye nodded with an impressed look as the ship exploded into tiny fragments thanks to the gunpowder and looked down as Zion appeared next to him and went back to leaning on the rail and nodded back to him.

Then he rocked forward as blood spurted out of his shoulder and fell onto his front with a pool of blood appearing under him. Mojaye started to move forward but was blocked as a bullet smacked into the wood in front of him and he looked up to where he guessed the shot had come from and could see the slight glint of glass way off into the distance on another ship.

"Long rangers….I hate them." He said to himself.

x+x+x+x+x

Ruther was flexing his muscles and tapping his humungous axe against the deck beneath his feet. His personal ship was thick and sturdy and he had displayed the flags of the ones he had beaten along the sides so that future enemies could see what they were dealing with before hand. Kai's Jolly Roger was displayed on the main sail and his own personal Jolly Roger, a skull with two axes crossed behind it, was on the flag above it.

Another one of the enemy's flagships was looming down on Ruther, the massive Carrack made even the galleons look tiny in comparison. Its 4 large main sails aided by many more small ones allowed for ludicrous mobility for such a monster. The crew that were aboard it had already latched grappling hooks onto Ruther's ship and were dragging his smaller ship in with some sort of winch system that made it useless to resist.

Ruther was not worried however, he was aching to get on board and crush it into dust. His massive frame mixed with his weapon of choice made him a formidable opponent and a perfect match for the massive ship in front of him. Lined up behind him were his top warriors, who were toting axes and swords on par with his own in size.

As soon as the side of the ships clashed together, Ruther roared a command and his crew threw there own grappling hooks that were connected to rope ladders that allowed for them to climb rapidly on board. Ruther himself was too big for these ladders so instead he swung his axe hard and cut a massive gash in the side of the ship and used outward pressure to lever himself up onto the deck.

When the balls of his feet had barely touched the fancy deck of the massive ship, he was charged by a number of adrenaline filled pirates, waving cutlasses and shooting wildly at him and his crew. Ruther roared loudly again and swung his axe in a wide arc, flat side first, and swept them aside like broom does to dust. As soon as it was clear he stomped forward and made his way to the central mast, his crew dealing with the downed men.

He reached the mast with no trouble and swung his axe wide again, this time blade first, and sliced through the massive mast like it was nothing at all. Although he had severed it completely, however, it still remained mostly upright because of the guy lines stretching down to the deck and railing. Ruther swung his axe again and embedded it into the deck before wrapping his arms around the deck in a tight hug.

He clenched his teeth and roared for a third time that fight and pulled with all his strength upwards and sideways, as well as twisting. The force was enough to snap the taut lines but some still remained so Ruther swung it sideways and it smashed into a passing ship, rendering it dead in the water.

Ruther picked up his axe again and jogged lightly to the helm of the ship and ripped the wheel and its holder out of the way before raising his axe high above his head. "Leave this ship!" he roared, mostly to his crew but also as a warning to the enemy, before he swung down with incredible force.

His axe hit the deck but instead of embedding itself there like it had before it smashed completely through it a gouged a canyon through the centre of the ship. The deck wasn't the only level affected though as it carried on right down to the bottom of the boat, splitting it so that water came rushing in through the cracks.

He picked his axe back up and hitched it on his shoulder as he headed towards the railing so that he could vault it and jump onto his own ship below but just before he got there he was suddenly dragged backwards and dumped to he ground. He got up with a growl and turned to see a man holding his palm out towards him with a strange vortex spinning in its centre.

x+x+x+x+x

Jigan was stood with his arms crossed at the head of his own ship with Doctor stood next to him grumbling away. "Can't believe we have to do this, nothing to do with us, why doesn't he do this himself, wouldn't be a problem for him…" he muttered and Jigan looked across at him and suddenly clapped him on the back with a chuckle.

"No use grumbling about it Doctor, let's just have us some fun!" he said and then ran forward before jumping off his ship and landing with grace on the ship closest to him.

As he rolled to a crouch, large curved blades appeared out of the top of his arms and curved slightly over his clenched fists and the edges of blades appeared curved from the top of his foot and stopped halfway above his shin. He grinned wildly and then sprinted forward towards the gathered pirates ahead.

His fighting style was strange, it rotated like a top and he flipped regularly to make sure that his legs got as much action as his arms. His blades passed through people with such speed that they didn't realise they had been cut before blood spurted from their wounds, they all thought they had had a lucky miss. They were wrong.

The fodder lasted as long as expected under Jigan's blade but he suddenly bounced backwards as his blades hit something they couldn't cut through. He got back to his feet and came face to face with a pair of knee's that were armoured with a strange metal. He looked up slowly and came across a waist, chest and arms covered in the same strange armour before he came to one of the ugliest faces he had seen in a while.

"Wow, you are one ugly looking dude." Then he looked down at the chest again and shuddered. "Or rather one really ugly woman…" The fist came down swift and strong but Jigan was expecting it and rolled out of her reach.

Before he could get his revenge however Doctor suddenly appeared and rammed a foot into her gut, the wooden sandals clanking against the metal but pushing back the monster with the force. He dropped to the ground and clenched a fist tight as whatever it was stumbled forward with fury and then he uncoiled like a spring and jumped into the air.

As spun once and then his fist connected with the bottom jaw and then as they both went up into the air, he rotated again and the giant was sent spinning into the air. Doctor bounced off of a small mast and landed, crouched, on her belly. She was still stunned from his previous blow so he shrugged and then kicked both feet down.

Her massive body flew downwards and crashed into the deck, causing it to sag under her weight. Doctor was till in the air and was flipping heel over head with the grace of an eagle and then plummeted down towards his prey. Jigan suddenly realised what he was going to do and launched himself back to his boat.

Doctor crashed into the giant once again with both feet and the force created by him and gravity was enough that the deck collapsed completely and the giant crashed through down to the lower decks, and then down to the sea through the floor. The water touched the edges slowly, like a person testing how hot their bath is, and then suddenly started to gush in.

Doctor casually walked across the remaining deck, the ship getter closer and closer to the sea and hopped lightly back to Jigan's ship and they both watched as it sunk beneath the waves. Doctor turned to Jigan and gave him a dirty look.

"And that is how you take down a ship in one go." He said

"That was technically four go's…" Jigan said, with disappointment in his voice; he had missed out on most of the fun.

Doctor was about to move off when the ship stopped moving downwards and started moving upwards until it was back to where it had started; the only give-away that it had sunk at all was the wrecked decks. Doctor looked on with a raised eyebrow as a figure appeared from the wreckage and stepped up onto the front railing of his ship.

"He's all yours, I can't be bothered." He said and disappeared below deck as Jigan snicked his blades out again.

_A/N: Part 3 finished! Well, that was fun to write, anyway keep your eyes peeled for Part 4; the Finale! (of the introduction only of course!)_


	5. At Times Like These

_A/N: Part 4, the finale! Hope you guys were looking forward to it! It's a bit shorter then its predecessor's but the last chapter was longer so it all equals out! Read on and enjoy!_

**At Times Like These…**

"You hear that Resker?" Kai called as he dodged another swing from his opponent. "Your so called fleet doesn't stand a chance against my friends!"

"You are not the only one with friends…" Resker replied, his face still set with a grin and the flash of his crooked teeth. His sword arm flashed through the air again and the wood where Kai's head had been a second before exploded under the impact.

Kai appeared behind his foe and aimed a kick to the back of his head but although Resker was tall he was also flexible and easily folded his frame to dodge the attack. As he ducked he spun and his covered sword whizzed through the air in a counter attack. Kai caught the attack on his top of his forearms and dissipated the force by twisting his arms and laying his palms flat on the side of the scabbard, pushing himself up into the air.

He flipped over and planted his feet where his hands had been a seconds ago and shot the heel of his foot at Resker's nose. However, Resker slipped his head to the side and trapped Kai's foot between his ear and shoulder. Then his spare hand came out of nowhere and grasped Kai's leg with a grip the nearly snapped his leg into two. Kai clenched his teeth and fired his other foot forward making Resker pull back but swing him around and smash him into the wood below them.

"Looks like your strength isn't overestimated…" Kai said and stood up. He had lost his coat near the start of the fight and his clothes were covered with rips and tears, as well as a few small cuts that ran across his body. Resker had similar cuts but otherwise he was unharmed, a Shichibukai to be reckoned with.

"No, it isn't." Resker said, simply. "But then it is not my strength you have to worry about."

"You're 'friends' right?" Kai sneered as he stretched his arms across his body. "I'm pretty confident they won't be able to stand up to my friends. Nothing could take them down."

Resker smiled his woeful smile again and leant on his sword like he had when first confronted. "Do you know the name of my sword?" he asked.

Kai was taken aback; the question had come out of nowhere. "No idea, why the hell is that important?"

"How long have we known each other?"

"Forever."

"So why don't you know the name of my sword?"

"I don't know if you missed something Resker, but we aren't really the best of friends." A short bark of a laugh escaped from between Kai's lips.

"No we are not." Resker said and turned his head so he was staring into the distance over Kai's shoulder, not focusing on anything. "However I know that you are a fraction of a hair over 6 and a half feet tall, you just celebrated your 20th birthday a month ago, the name of you Devil Fruit is the 'Naiya Naiya', and that you posses the use of Haki."

Kai crossed his arms, a look of annoyance, and curiosity, on his face. "I think I have missed the point somehow."

"Clearly, but what if I added that you stylized your clothing after your late master, Rhasghul Jibbad?"

With this simple statement, pure fury filled Kai's eyes and his hands dropped to his sides. His body was physically shaking, visually shaking, the fury within him being kept back with serious will power. "How the hell did you get that name?"

Resker lost his smile and his gaze drifted across to Kai again. "Simple, I did some investigating…"

"Investigating?"

"Yes, I knew that a clash with you was inevitable. I knew that at some point I would have to come and find you if you did not chase after me first. Luckily the latter happened and I could plan things carefully."

Kai had calmed down now that the conversation had left his master behind, but he still spoke through clenched teeth. "What is the point of all this, and why the hell am I still listening to you?" he said it as if he was ready to restart the fighting but he did not move.

"'Nothing could take them down.' You said. Are you absolutely sure that is true?"

"Without a doubt." Kai's cocky demeanour had reappeared and a confident grin was on his face as he crossed his arms again.

"Mmm, your confidence in them is inspiring…but inevitably stupid. Are you aware of a man named Borsalino?"

"Borsalino?" Kai replied, perplexed; the conversation had taken another step into weirdness for him. "Isn't he some kind of super marine captain or something?"

"He is a rising star in the marines, because of his attitude to pirates and other lawbreakers and because of his ability. He posses' the Devil Fruit known as the 'Pika Pika' fruit; heard of it?"

"Yeah, I bumped into this guy a year or so ago. He's a light man."

"And how did you deal with that."

"Easy as pie, I cracked Haki in his face."

"And what is that known as?"

"What the hell is this?"

"They are called weaknesses; everybody has them, including your dear crew."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "So…"

"I investigated you so well that I found out information you thought hidden forever, do you not think I would have done the same for your crew and passed the information on to my own friends?"

"Doesn't matter, a good warrior discovers his weaknesses himself and learns to defend against them."

"I see…wait, do you hear that?" Resker turned his head upwards towards the ships deck and cupped his ear with his hand.

Kai looked up and listened until he heard a fain cry above the noise of fighting.

"RAZOR!"

"No!" Kai said and poised himself to jump upwards but as soon as he started to move Resker appeared in front of him and slammed his sword into his stomach, sending him crashing to the ground. Kai struggled to his knees and then received an elbow to the back of his head for the trouble, sending him to the ground again.

"You panic to easy." The crooked smile showing itself again. "You need to learn to relax."

Kai roared and charged forward towards Resker.

Resker smiled again and swung his sword with superhuman speed, although for Kai and Resker time seemed to slow down. Kai himself looked down and saw the black scabbard barging its way through the air and knew in that instance that he could not dodge it. Resker looked up and caught Kai's eyes with his own.

"Goodbye, family of 'D'" he said before his attack hit.

Kai was smashed through the bottom of the ship and entered the water like a bullet, bubbles frothing around him and escaping from his mouth. He sank like a stone, the water sapping his energy, his Devil fruit as much a curse to him as a blessing. Down and down he went, so deep that the light disappeared and he entered a world of nothingness. His will gone, his energy gone, his life…gone.

_A/N: and there we have it, the conclusion to my 4-part introductory arc; Good Times…. I hope you enjoyed it. Now hold your breath as Full Throttle goes, you guessed it, full throttle! (Yeah that sucked :)) and the story begins. See you next time!_


	6. Korukku Island

_A/N: So onto the main bulk of this story. It is my pleasure to introduce to you, the first arc in my West Blue Saga; A New Hero! Read on people!_

**Korukku Island**

The weather was cold, not snowing cold, but pretty close to it; a classic weather pattern for an island in the west blue. It didn't help that the wind was blowing a strong gale and just added to the temperature. However it wasn't so cold that a man with a bare chest couldn't stroll along as if it was the sunniest day of the year.

The man was tall, his short blue hair bristled and swept back as if he was in a strong wind constantly, like the one he was actually in at the moment. He wore tight trousers that flared slightly near the base and brown slip on shoes on his feet. A scattering of scars covered the right hand of his face and wrinkles had started to appear. Most strangely, however, was that he was carrying a black metal chest, dangling it over his shoulder with the handle.

He had been walking for most of the day and had forgotten to eat at the beginning of his journey, so the hunger had started to creep up on him. The only thing that kept his legs moving was that he knew a village was within a days walk in front of him. He knew it for an irrefutable fact.

So he kept on moving, one foot in front of the other until eventually he caught sight of a building in the distance. It wasn't a large building and looked to be made of wood, but it confirmed what the man already knew; at the very least it was a welcome sight to a man close to collapsing due to hunger.

He switched the chest to the other hand and rolled his shoulder to get it moving before the cramp set in. The village loomed closer as he picked up the pace, eager to find the restaurant he knew to be there, eager to get some food into him quickly and converse with a waitress he knew to be there.

It wasn't long before he passed the building he had seen previously and entered the village with a yell of triumph that he had made it. This cry caused numerous stares but the man ignored them as he moved swiftly through the streets, the route ingrained into his mind a long time ago. So in only a couple of minutes he arrived at the destination he wanted and looked up at the sign above the door.

'Indigo's Revenge'

He stared at the sign in silence and then turned his attention to the large clear doors in front of him. They revealed to him the inside of the restaurant and that it had not changed in the years he had been gone. However, it also showed him that the staff had turned over in those years and his favourite waitress was no longer there.

He sighed and shrugged to himself before stepping forwards and through the door. Almost immediately a waitress with electric green hair tied in a pony tail moved across to him and held up a menu.

"You here for a meal or just a drink, love?" she asked, her voice high and as smooth as honey.

"A meal I think…" the man said as she led him over to a table and got him seated. "…and please, call me Lin."

"Alright Lin, then you may call me Lisa." She replied as she moved off.

A flash of something appeared in Lin's eyes, something long forgotten yet always remembered. It was momentary however, and he got back to picking his food, the chest was placed next to his chair. He selected his food and indicated to Lisa and she brought over the food but as she went to move away, Lin grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.

"Have you heard about the events at the Sabaody archipelago?" he asked, his voice close to a whisper.

"You mean about those Straw Hat Pirate folk?"

"That's the ones. Have you got a newspaper or something about it?"

"I'll bring one over to you Lin."

"Thanks Lisa."

A few minutes later Lisa placed a newspaper in front of Lin and moved away again. Lin stopped eating and picked the newspapers up and looked at the headline. He quickly read through it and picked out the important parts. Most notably that the straw hats were killed by the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma.

Lin frowned and placed the newspaper back on the table as he thought. Then he read on a read that apparently the straw hats had returned to the Sabaody and were gathering strong pirates to work under him with his new bounty of 400,000,000B. Lin frowned again and called Lisa over.

"Is the Marine base still active over the hill?"

"Of course, it's been going strong for nearly 30 years now."

"Who's in charge?"

"A marine lieutenant called Klaken."

"Thanks, and thanks for the meal." Lin stood up as he said this and dropped the required amount of Beri on the table, before picking up his chest and swinging over his shoulder. "See you later Lisa." He said and disappeared out of the door.

He continued on through the village and soon came out on the far side on the dirt track that would lead straight to the Marine base's front door. Now he had eaten he was in less of a hurry and was simply strolling along, taking in the surroundings, which at current wasn't more then browning grass and a few shrubs.

As he came to the crest of the hill something caught his attention out of his eye, something glittering in the shrubs. Lin detoured off the track and pushed the leaves aside with his foot and came across a man sprawled out on the ground, his face dug into the dirt.

Lin didn't do anything for a couple of seconds and simply stared at the comatose man before prodding him gently with his toes. The man didn't respond and his body just rocked with the prod. Lin then crouched down and sat on his haunches and gazed at the man again for a couple of seconds, giving him a second prod with his fingers.

Again, the man didn't react so Lin took a grip on the back of the collar and hauled him upright; his body sagged against the fabric of his shirt. His face wasn't anything that would stick out; he had eyes, a nose, a mouth and a small scar running laterally below his nose like a moustache. The skin on his face was gaunt and it looked like the man had not eaten in a number of days.

Lin was about to take pity on him when he felt a small point touching the base of his chin, and looking down he discovered the man was holding a knife in his hand. There was no surprise for Lin, just acceptance that a man that had seemed unconscious seconds ago was now holding a knife to his throat.

"Put me down, mister." The man sad, his voice rasping against the air.

Lin didn't argue and gently lowered the man to the ground before releasing him.

"Now don't be a hero and place the chest on the ground and step away." The man said, gesturing with the knife in a manner meant to say 'I'll stab you if you ain't careful!'

Lin wasn't impressed with the man and simply stood there looking at him, not complying with the order to relinquish his chest.

"There can't be that much gold in there man, just drop it and go. I don't want to hurt you."

"Well that's alright then…" Lin said with a smile. The man raised his eyebrows in surprise and then Lin took a single step forward and planted his spare fist deep into his stomach. The man wasn't expecting the blow and gagged before flying backwards and landing in a heap on the floor.

"You crazy! I'm not alone here!" the man cried and as if on cue a number of men suddenly appeared out of what seemed to be thin air. Each one was brandishing a knife or a sword and one of them was holding a pistol aimed at Lin's head. He appeared to be the leader of this gang.

"You clearly aren't from around here so I'm going to give you a break in your defiance of us. So I'm going to repeat what my good friend here said to you; place the chest on the ground and get the hell out of here." His voice was clear and concise, and had the air of authority that confirmed Lin's suspicions of his leadership.

"Might I inquire as to who is trying to rob me in broad daylight on the outskirts of a marine base?" Lin asked casually, his eyes flicking around the group with calculations in his eyes.

"We're the bosses around here; the marines are too scared to touch us. We are the Sacred Bear gang!"

"Sacred Bear…right, I'll remember that." Lin placed the chest on the floor and squared it off so it was directly in front of him, then he placed a foot on it and rested an elbow on his knee. "You want the chest, you're going to have to come and get it."

"Fool! Take him out!" the leader cried and the small group clustered in.

Lin ducked to avoid a sword swing and when it reached its extreme, he grabbed the attacker's wrist and bent it back on itself, snapping the bones into little pieces. As the man screamed in pain, Lin brought his other arm up and, still holding onto the broken wrist, bent his elbow backwards. The man tumbled away cradling his arm and whimpering quietly.

Without pausing he twisted at the hips and grabbed the hand of one of the gang who had a knife and stopped it in its tracks. Lin bent the arm at the elbow and using his other arm as leverage stabbed the man in the shoulder with his own blade.

He lifted his elbow and a sword appeared under his arm, which he trapped there by pulling his elbow in. Lin twisted violently in the opposite direction, dragging the bearer forward and crashed his elbow into the side of his head, sending him sprawling into the dirt; where he stayed, knocked unconscious by Lin's attack.

The other gang members backed away from him, fearful of what he could do to them even though he hadn't even moved his foot from the top of the chest.

"You bunch of weaklings, he is just one man." The leader screamed and raised his pistol again.

Lin realised what was about to happen a second to late and although he rocked sideways to avoid the bullet, he wasn't fast enough and it clipped his shoulder which sent him tumbling to the ground and away from his chest. As soon as he had fallen, one of the gang members surged forward and grabbed his chest and pulled it into the few remaining men who circled around it to see what was inside.

Lin's rage exploded and he bounced off the ground and appeared above the gang like some kind of demon apparition. The gang looked up and cried out but Lin was already among them. He grabbed one by his face and launched him into another one and then spun around to grab the handle of a sword on another's side.

He whipped it out and pierced it through the mans leg, twisting it up and away and sending him spiralling through the air. With those gang members down it left 2 more, plus the leader and the first man Lin came across.

Lin appeared behind the pair of men and slammed their heads together like a pair of cymbals and then turned to the first man who screamed and ran off towards the town. This left Lin standing face to face with the leader of the pack.

"It seems that me and my men underestimated you. I am Poker, leader of the sacred Bears; what is your name?" Poker said, his face showing signs of the anger that was within him.

"Not your concern." Lin said and Poker exploded forward only to receive and straight right to the face that knocked him to the ground and unconscious.

Lin rolled his shoulders, ignoring the blood that was seeping down his arm, and picked up his chest again, swinging it so it was resting against his back like normal. He turned a full circle and assessed the damage he had done to the Sacred Bears. _10 down, nine injured, one fleeing…good enough to show them that some people can kick their asses and not sweat over it but low enough damage that they not going to die. _Lin nodded to himself and then moved over the crest of the hill where he caught sight of the Marine base at the bottom of the hill.

"So then Lieutenant Klaken, I wonder how smart you are."

_A/N: Ta da! Chapter 1 is finished! Hope you enjoyed it and keep your eyes and ears peeled for chapter 2 heading your way!_


	7. Marine Lieutenant Klaken

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews people! In this chapter we are introduced to the first marines in my story. It was only after I finished writing this arc that I realised that it is similar in some aspects to the first chapters of canon one piece! This wasn't intentional…luckily it is different enough that I don't think I need to change it. Anyway, read on readers!_

**Marine Lieutenant Klaken**

The gates were pretty big, not by grand line standards, but defiantly by the blue's standards. It stood nearly three times as tall as Lin and was painted the dark blue of the marines with a nearly reflective paint. Its iron bars was the marines standard straight up job with no decoration whatsoever and was attached to concrete walls with a similar disposition, the only difference being strange waves painted across the surface.

Lin was stood directly in the centre of the gate, his chest hanging over his left shoulder as his right was still injured by the bullet Poker and fired at him in his attack. It had mostly scabbed but blood would bubble out every now and again when he moved his arm so he decided to leave it and let it heal on its own. His right arm was a sight as it was now nearly completely covered in his blood, like his arm had been severed.

He had knocked on the gate a number of minutes before but had gotten no response and was about to knock again when he realised there was a snail on a small panel to the right of the gate. Lin wondered over there slowly and looked at the snail inquisitively; he had never seen something like it so small. He pondered for a second before the snail started to make a strange noise.

"Bulla bulla bulla bulla…"

"What in the name of…"

"Bulla bulla bulla…"

Lin looked closer and realised that it had a strange device plugged into its shell. He had a strange thought and moved his right hand slowly, bubbling blood escaping from his wound as he did so, and placed it gently on the device. It vibrated under his hand and he jumped back, knocking the receiver from its perch and initiating the call.

"State your purpose at the 192nd Marine Division?" the snail said and Lin suddenly realised what it was.

"Wow, a Den Den Mushi of this size…" he said before stopping and picking up the receiver in his right hand. "Uh, hello?"

"I repeat, state your business at the 192nd Marine Division." The snail said again.

"Uh, right, ok, this is weird." Lin muttered before holding the handheld device close to his mouth. "Uh, is Marine Lieutenant Klaken in residence here?" his voice was loud, close to shouting.

"There is no need to shout…" the snail said and a sigh escaped its lips. "The lieutenant is here but he is busy at the moment, what is your name and the reason you wish to speak to him?"

Lin moved the receiver a bit further away from his mouth and spoke quieter. "Could you just tell him that I have important information on the Straw Hat pirates?"

"The Straw Hats!" the snail exclaimed, slight disbelief in its voice. "Is your information viable?"

"Let me talk to Klaken and he can decide for himself…" Lin said.

There was a pause as the marines on the other end of the Den Den Mushi seemed to consult with each other and then the voice came back. "Enter the gate, walk slowly to the centre of the courtyard and place your chest on the floor. Then sit cross legged on your chest and await collection. Is that understood?"

Lin looked around suspiciously, they were somehow able to see him but he shrugged as it didn't matter; he was about to enter the marine base anyway. "Will do." He said and the blue gates started to swing open, outwards towards the dirt track.

The shiny metal swept across the ground smoothly before hitting the uneven ground and grating against rock to open. Clearly the mechanism of the gates were stronger then the loose collection of the earth because it pushed it aside as Lin walked closer. He looked at the gates and saw where they had opened before where the dirt had been moved into small mounds where the gates stopped.

The moment the gate had made a gap big enough for Lin to fit through easily he stepped through it and headed towards the centre of the courtyard as he had been instructed to. He walked slowly and then stopped pretty much dead centre of the open space and placed his chest on the floor and sat on it as per the instructions.

This allowed him to get a good look at the place that he had entered before he was collected. His immediate surroundings were a large square, the walls of equal length on each side. They were high, nearly as high as the gate through which he had entered. They were non decorative except for the strange wave patterns and the only anomaly to the square was the smaller gate that lead to the main marine structure.

It reminded Lin of an old castle, it had towers at the four corners with smaller ones in varying places at various heights scattered around. The windows were small and rectangular and it had fifth layers that Lin could see from where he was but he suspected that there was a small final layer in the centre of the fifth one he could see.

Lin's exploration of the view was interrupted as the smaller gate leading to the castle opened and six marines trekked out in perfect formation, three on each side. They jogged over to where he was sitting and stopped either side of him forming some sort of escort. Lin understood and stood up again, picking his chest up and started walking, the marines keeping pace with him but keeping there gazes fixed forwards at their destination.

When they reached the gate the marines stopped on the edges and Lin continued on his own, entering through the gate into some sort of fabric tunnel which was hidden when he had been waiting.

At the far end of the tunnel were two more marines, one on each side, and a sturdy looking wooden door with no handle on it. Lin stepped forward and the right hand marine raised a hand in a gesture to stop, which Lin happily complied with.

"We will need you to either show us what is in the chest or you are going to have to leave it here, sir." He said, his cap held low so that it covered his eyes.

Lin contemplated for a moment and then sighed. "Damn, we've already come to a problem it seems." The marine raised his head and his brown eyes stared at him with suspicion. "I cannot show you want is in the chest but I also cannot leave it here, out of my reach."

"The demands have changed now, show us what is in the chest." his authority showing in his commanding voice.

"Oh you misunderstand me it is not that I _will _not show you what is in the chest, it is just that I _cannot _show you, physically. It is locked tight and I lost the key to it many years ago. You may try to open it if you wish."

The marine nodded and stepped forward and indicated for Lin to place the chest on the floor, which he did with no trouble. The marine bent down and expected the locks, heavy duty ones that were built into the chest; two on the front and one on each side. He tried, with seeming effort, to release the catch with his bare hands but they steel would not yield to him. He indicated to his partner and the second marine stepped up to Lin and indicated that he spread his arms.

Lin nodded and the man did a quick pat down on his legs, since it was obvious he wasn't hiding anything on his naked top half, but came up with nothing. The pockets were extremely small and anything obvious, like a key that would fit the looks, could be easily seen through the tight fabric.

The searcher nodded to his mate who had still been struggling with the chest and he gave up and returned to his standing position by the door. Lin took this to mean he could pick up his chest so he did and then the marine spoke again.

"A Warrant Officer will meet you on the other side of this door and escort you to Lieutenant Klaken; if you try to deviate from the path outlined by the Warrant Officer you will be executed. You may take the chest with you but any funny business and you will be executed. Understand?"

"Completely."

As he spoke the door opened, clearly it could only be opened from the inside, and a tough looking marine was standing on the other side, two katana on his hip and two pistols tucked into his waistband.

"Follow me." His voice was gruff and commanded attention, not that Lin was planning on disobeying anyone. At the moment.

It took a long series of minutes before the pair reached the door of the lieutenant, which Lin figured to be on the 6th floor he had not been able to see from the bottom of the castle. The Warrant Officer rapped smartly on the door and entered, before snapping a perfect salute and speaking in a clear and loud voice.

"Sir! Visitor for Marine Lieutenant Klaken with information about the Straw Hat pirate crew! Sir!"

Klaken must have nodded or given indication for Lin to enter because the Warrant officer saluted smartly again and exited the door, nodding for Lin to enter and as he did so the Warrant Officer took post outside of the door.

"So, how may I help you, citizen?"

Klaken was a large man, nearly taking up the entire length of the desk he was sat on, and was showing a large amount of hair protruding from out of his shirt at his chest. He sported a wild beard but his hair was cropped tight and pulled straight up that gave him a very strange look indeed.

Lin paused for a second before he spoke, taking in the mans appearance. "The straw hats are fakes." He stated and Klaken had a look of surprise of his face that Lin guessed he rarely showed before it returned to its normal composure. "and I can prove it to you in an hour of so, depending on you level of scepticism which I am guessing is quite high at the moment."

"You guess correctly, so explain to me how you can prove it." So Lin did, starting with the Straw Hat's bounty posters issued by the marines before their so called return.

The time ticked past two hours before Klaken was totally convinced that Lin was telling the truth. Lin was an intelligent man and Klaken wasn't a total idiot and all the proof that Lin had provided fitted had convinced him that he was right.

"I cannot say whether the real Straw Hats are alive or dead but the ones that are parading around the archipelago are fakes."

"Indeed, I will have to report this to Marine HQ, what is your name citizen?" Klaken asked as he reached for Den Den Mushi that was on his desk.

Lin paused and thought quietly to himself, he had been hoping to be out of the building before Klaken realised that he had not given his name but he had asked and Lin could not refuse without bringing up questions he didn't particularly what investigating at this point in his life.

However he was saved as a marine burst through the door, out of breath with sweat running down his brow. "Sir, 'The Dream…" but he was interrupted as Klaken slammed a fist into is desk so hard Lin actually bounced a couple of centimetres off of the ground.

"How dare you interrupt me and then lax your discipline, you shall be punished for this!" he roared, his voice nearly blowing out the small windows behind him.

The marine shot ramrod straight and saluted quickly before continuing in his hurried speech. "Sir, I am sorry, sir but this is an emergency. 'The Dreamer' has broken into the marine base!"

"'The Dreamer'! What the hell is he doing here this time? Klaken questioned, pulling himself to his feet and moving to the window.

"Sir, he says we woke him from his sleep, sir."

"At a time like this…!" Klaken muttered as he stared out of the window.

"Uh, sorry for interrupting but who is this 'Dreamer'?" Lin asked, raising his hand like a young schoolboy.

Klaken turned around slowly and faced him, his blue eyes locking on to Lin before he spoke. "A very dangerous criminal…" he said before moving towards the door.

"Hey, what about me?" Lin asked as he too got to his feet.

"Stay in this office and do not leave, if you do you will be imprisoned and most likely executed." Klaken said and started to move out of the door.

"Wait, what is this guys name?"

"Kale, Nemo Kale." Klaken responded before exiting and slamming the door behind him.

"Stay here?" Lin questioned and moved to the window to gaze out at the courtyard below and saw that a single figure was standing in a large circle of marines. "I don't think so…" he said before smiling to himself.

_A/N: Guess what guys! Nemo Kale makes his appearance. Credit goes to stevethemime for his creation and I'll say it again in the next chapter when this 'Nemo Kale' is properly introduced to my lovely readers._


	8. A Dreamer and His Toys

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys and gals (and anything in between! :)) I present to you, your next chapter…or my next chapter…you get the idea. Read!_

**A Dreamer and his Toys**

The fight had already started and Lin watched with interested as the one called Nemo Kale fought his way through the 192nd's marines. From what Lin could see through the small window, they didn't stand a chance against him, which pleased Lin greatly. He couldn't see what he looked like but he could just about see him swinging something around as he fought. _Maybe some type of sword? _He thought to himself.

He shrugged to himself and walked across to the closed door, placing his ear to the wood and listening carefully. Lin knew that most of the marines were outside but he guessed that Klaken would leave a marine behind to make sure that he did not leave the room as instructed. He heard nothing so knocked on the door with his knuckles, drawing the attention of the sentry posted outside.

Nothing happened for a couple of seconds and then the door opened and the marine Warrant Officer that had escorted him to Klaken's office stuck his head in. Lin smiled and moved is head in close so that he did not have to speak loudly.

"What's happening outside?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"The criminal Nemo Kale is currently being detained by…" the Warrant Officer didn't finish his sentence as Lin dropped his chin to his chest and bounced up with a bone crushing head butt into the officer's face.

It was a brutal and well placed blow and knocked the marine unconscious immediately, making him fall forwards into the room. Lin caught him before he hit the floor and dragged him completely into the office and bumping the door closed with his hip. He dumped the officer on the floor and stripped his over shirt off so that he was left in just a white vest. Lin then used the blue neckerchief to tie his wrists together and his shoelaces to tie his ankles together before dumping him in Klaken's chair.

The shirt was slightly to big for Lin but he didn't mind, the only thing he did change though was that he ripped the sleeve's off so that there was a stylish tear on each shoulder. He had left the top button undone so that the fabric fell open and revealed more of his chest. Lin flexed his shoulders and then rotated around his waist to check it and it all worked out so he bent down and picked up his chest before heading out of the room.

He dropped down a floor and sprinted along the corridor until he came across one of the larger windows that were pointing in the right direction; towards the courtyard. Lin moved up to the glass and saw Klaken had arrived on the scene with a large four headed axe type weapon and was brandishing it at Nemo with threatening moves. _Better get down there quickly, I don't want this to get out of hand to quickly. _He thought before backtracking down the hall until he was as far away from the window as possible.

Lin took a couple of deep breaths and then sprang forwards, moving from a stand still to full on sprinting in under a second his left arm pumping hard and his chest trailing behind on his right hand. He reached the window quickly but did not stop, the glass shattering into a thousand pieces at his force, a small amount scratched his face but that was all before the freefall started.

It was at this point that Lin realised he was on the third floor of the castle; which was a lot higher then he was anticipating. As the wind rushed past his face Lin shrugged to himself, although it was far it was nothing that he could not handle; hopefully. He looked down and watched as someone pointed up at him and everyone, including Klaken and Nemo, looked up at him trying to figure out what he was.

He twisted in mid air and sent his chest flying towards the ground with a throw and then twisted again so that he was falling feet first. The ground approached quickly and Lin watched as his chest hit the ground and embedded itself there before his feet hit it and pushed it further into the ground with his weight. It moved down most of its width and then Lin bounced off of it and landed on Klaken's shoulder, who roared in fury, but was slow to react as Lin bounced off him and landed on the ground just in front of Nemo.

Nemo stood just below Lin in height, a couple of inches at most, and his blonde hair was all over the place as if he had never touched it at all. His skin was tan and his eyes were a dark blue, but bright in contrast with the dark bags directly below his eyes as if he had not slept in a while. He was wearing a grey tank top, covered mostly by a sweat jacket coloured blue that was baggy on his slim frame. Dirty jeans covered his legs and he wore heavy work boots on his feet. What Lin had thought to be a sword before had actually turned out to be a length of pipe, as simple as it gets for a weapon.

The two of them stared at each other for a couple of seconds before the action started. In those seconds, Lin could see Nemo trying to figure out what he was and then giving up and presuming he was a marine of some sort, the shirt did not help him. Nemo stepped forward and swung his pipe on a lazy arc aimed at Lin's head, but Lin wasn't the same as the marines and ducked back to avoid the blow.

The pipe passed by his nose, within a couple of centimetres, and as it reached parallel to his shoulder, Lin pushed off the ground and rotated his body. As the pipe moved laterally, Lin moved vertically and rolled himself around the steel. Lin tucked his left foot in and it passed in front of Nemo's face but he extended his right foot and his heel crashed into Lin's ear lifting him off the ground and sending him flying across the dirt.

Lin landed gracefully on his feet and flicked his eyes over to where Nemo had landed in a heap and a plume of dust off the floor.

"What the hell kind of civilian are you!" Klaken's thunderous voice asked from behind him.

Lin glanced back and saw that Klaken had moved up directly behind him and was standing over him menacingly with his weapon. "I'm not any kind of civilian…" he said and spun around, delivering a vicious kick to Klaken's rounded belly.

Klaken roared out but Lin's kick was too powerful and he too was sent flying backwards into the dirt, the other marine's watching in surprise and horror. Lin landed gracefully and shook his head side to side as if he was loosening the muscles in it, then he clenched his hands and a deafening crack echoed around the courtyard.

"That's better; you marines always piss me off when I'm around you." Lin said with a smile.

Klaken picked himself off the ground, his body shaking with the effort, and used his large weapon to keep himself from falling over. "That…that was a mistake." He growled "I'll take you down now and then I'll torture you for a couple of days before sending you off to Impel Down."

"Impel Down? Not much of a threat since Straw-hat broke out of there with a bunch of high profile prisoners…"

"How…how the hell did you know about that?" Klaken asked, a look of surprise clear on his face.

"Come now, Klaken, everyone watched the battle at marineford. The only difference is that I happened to discover that Straw-Hat was in Impel Down beforehand."

Klaken was about to reply when his eyes grew wide once again and it took Lin a second to realise what he was reacting to. He ducked his head quickly and a strange red blade passed through the air where his head had been a second ago. Then, in an opposite reaction to most people, Lin rolled backwards and passed under the attack arc that Nemo had started.

He bounced back to his feet and looked at the strange weapon that Nemo had seemingly pulled out of nowhere. It was the size and shape of as standard katana, nothing special there. Where it changed though was that it was covered in a reddish shadow with what seemed like lightning crackling through it. Where Nemo was holding onto it by the handle the shadow covered his hand but stopped around his wrist.

_Interesting, I've never heard of a Devil Fruit like this. _Lin thought as Nemo turned around to face him, his tired eyes looking at him with disinterest and interest at the same time.

"Whoa there, Nemo!" Lin exclaimed, holding his hands extended with his palms facing him in an unthreatening manner. "How about we join up for a bit and take down the rest of the marines before we get started?"

A look of confusion passed across Nemo's face before returning to its normal stoic look. "I don't know what you are suggesting but I don't team up with marines."

Now it was Lin's turn to look confused. "What could possibly make you think…" he paused suddenly and looked down at himself, taking in the marine shirt he was wearing. Mix that with the black trousers he had on and then he looked like a marine with a uniformity complex. "Oh right, this. I'm not a marine or anything; I simply borrowed this from a friendly Warrant Officer."

Nemo looked like he was about to protest when he had to jump clear as Klaken appeared behind him and crashed his mace into the ground. "How dare you insult the marines by suggesting this scoundrel is one of us!" he roared and swung forward again.

Nemo rolled clear of the attack and sunk his blade into the back of the Lieutenant's knee so that the tip pierced through his kneecap. Klaken roared in pain and anger as Nemo spun around again sliced through his other leg, just above the knee. Klaken's eyes grew wide as he suddenly toppled over and landed in a heap on the floor, both of his legs useless.

Lin watched, impressed at Nemo's skill, but also mystified by the ability he had just displayed. Although he had apparently cut off Klaken's leg, there was no blood and it was still attached to his body, the only give away that anything had happened at all was Klaken looking down at his leg as if it had actually been cut off. Instantly, Lin thought it had to be the work of a Devil Fruit and made a mental note to ask Nemo about it later.

"If you are not a marine, then I have no fight with you. If you would like to join me in beating up the rest of these wimps, go ahead." Nemo said and lifted his blade high into the air causing the remaining marines to start scrambling away. However, the red smoke like substance dissipated and Nemo was left carrying the pipe he had earlier.

Lin nodded to himself as he realised where the sword had come from and watched with interest as Nemo beat the snot out of the surrounding marines, all low level so none of them standing a chance against the enraged Nemo.

Eventually Nemo stopped and slipped his pipe back into a harness he was wearing on his back and made his way back to Lin who was still standing in the centre of the courtyard with an amused look on his face.

"What the hell do you find so funny?" Nemo asked blatantly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Before Lin could reply however, there was a massive roar of anger and Klaken rose to his feet again, seemingly completely recovered. Nemo turned slowly and moved to reach his pipe but Lin was faster.

He raced across the dirt and appeared directly beneath Klaken, crouched down by his legs. "You should have stayed down Klaken." He bounced up off the floor and crashed his heel into Klaken's chin, lifting the massive frame up off the ground and launching him into the air. Lin followed suit and jumped into the air so that he seemed to be balancing on the large belly.

The pirate smiled and shot a foot into his gut, knocking the air out of his lungs and launching him to the ground like a meteorite. When the dust settled, Klaken was resting in a small crater with blood seeping out of his mouth.

Lin dropped to the ground and turned to face Nemo. "So, what do you think?"

Nemo looked blank. "What do I think about what?"

"My strength, do you think you could work under someone like me?"

Nemo was momentarily stunned. "You want me to join you?"

"Yeah, you know you'll love it. Being a pirate is great fun! You get to beat up marines all the time and you get stronger as you progress. What isn't fun about that?"

"What gave you the impression that I have any intention of becoming a pirate?"

"You practically are already; you've beaten up plenty of marines. All you are missing is the travelling part."

"I think you're an idiot for wanting to be a pirate and I'm going to leave you now." Nemo turned away and started walking towards the exit but Lin was quick to catch up.

"Go on, you already have a bounty on your head and now that Klaken is beaten, no doubt the marines will send someone higher up the pole to replace him; someone more powerful then him."

Nemo stopped with a look of consideration on his face. "And what would I gain from travelling with you as a pirate."

Lin smiled a knowing smile and spread his arms wide. "Everything! Anything! You want it, you can have it. Wealth, knowledge, power, fame! That's the joy of being a pirate; you can do and take whatever you want."

Nemo considered quietly for a moment and then slowly extended his hand. "Ok. Maybe until I get bored." He said

Lin's smile grew wider and he gripped Nemo's hand with his own. "Then let's get out of here!"

_A/N:_ _Like that? I hope so. :) Credit goes to stevethemime for the creation of Nemo Kale. Great character by the way. Keep your eyes and ears waiting for the next chapter!_


	9. Yume Yume No Mi

_A/N: Ta for the reviews guys and gals. Read on and enjoy the next chapter…_

**Yume Yume No Mi**

The newly formed pirate crew consisting of just two members had made its way away from the marine base and had headed back into town. Lin had picked up his chest again and was holding it, as usual, over his shoulder with his left hand. Nemo was on his right, looking as sleep deprived as ever.

"So then Nemo, what was all that about back there?" Lin asked glancing across at his new friend.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you had that flame-like sword but when you cut through Klaken, which you defiantly did, I'm sure of that, he got up minutes later as though he were fine. I'm guessing some kind of devil fruit, right?"

"You guess correctly. I ate the Yume Yume fruit, I'm a dream man. The fruit gives me the ability to materialize anything that I have dreamed about into the real word. Everything that I create is covered in that red smoke with electricity flowing through it, no idea why." He paused as he turned his head back to look where he was going. "Then, like you saw with Klaken, all the attacks done by my creations affect nothing but the mind. When I cut through his legs, he felt as if I had actually done it, the pain is there; just the physical injury is absent."

"That's pretty cool, so why the pipe?"

"I use the pipe as a base. If I have a base for my creations it is a lot less taxing on my own mind."

"So it's like a double edged sword?"

"Partially…if I create something that exists in the real world, the more common it is the less strain I have. So, like with the katana I created, they are really common and I can hold that forever, practically. The less common the item, the more strain I put onto myself. And then if I create something that is a complete creation of my own mind then I get tired pretty quickly, because my powers are trying to keep it alive in this world."

"So can you create anything else apart from weapons?"

Nemo shook is head wearily. "Did you not listen? I can create anything I have in my dreams, weapon or otherwise."

"You don't look like you dream much, those bags under your eyes tell me you don't actually sleep much."

"Unfortunately not, luckily though, my powers are not limited to dreams of the night; daydreams also count so I can create anything at anytime."

"Impressive, I'm sure you will be a great asset to my crew!" Lin said as a smile appeared on his face again.

"How many have you got in your crew at the moment?"

"Including you…two."

"Seriously? Your more crazy then I thought, where are we heading now then?"

"Onto the next island, I know my way around this area of the seas and I've got all the necessary equipment on my ship."

"You have a ship? How do you pilot it on your own?"

"Ok, it's more of a boat then a ship but it's big enough for the two of us, although three would be about the limit. We'll have to get a new ship eventually as we gather a crew."

"Mmm…" with that Nemo dropped into silence and his own thoughts, leaving Lin to his own thoughts as well.

_The next island isn't that exciting but at least we'll be able to get some info from there, hopefully we won't bump into any more marines any time soon. _"Oh, Nemo, the way the marines back there spoke about you; do you have a bounty?"

"Yeah, my bounty is currently 8 million. What about you?"

"I'm on 11 million at the moment but I hope that will rise later on."

"You're an idiot. The higher bounty you have, the more powerful the marines that are chasing you are and the more likely it is that you'll be captured or killed."

"That's where all the fun is!" he said and then lapsed back into silence.

By the time they had made it back to the village, the dark of night was creeping up on them. The sun was just falling below the horizon and it's last rays of light were disappearing into the night.

The two pirates made their way to the nearest hotel and booked themselves a room each. Nemo was quite surprised how much money Lin was carrying around with him. They made their way down the corridor and faced each other in the hallway outside of their rooms, which were opposite each other.

"Tomorrow we'll stock up on provisions and make sure the boat is sailable, and then we'll rest until the day after and set off then. Supaida Island is next for us, it's northwest of here and will probably take a full day of sailing to get it in sight. As soon as we can see it, we'll rest up for a couple of hours and then dock in. That sound fine for you?" Lin explained.

"That's fine with me." Was all Nemo said before disappearing into his room with Lin quickly following suit.

The door clicked shut behind him and Lin carefully moved across the room and placed the chest to the side of his bed, within easy reach once he was asleep. Then he sunk to the floor and braced his back against the bed and leant his head back until it was resting on the soft mattress. Lin raked his hands through his hair before closing his eyes and delving into his thoughts.

_Fighting those marines today nearly made me go to far. It's been a long while since I fought any… _He thought to himself _I'll need to prepare myself more if I want to make it through the world without…yeah, just without. _He lifted himself off the floor slowly and moved his way across to the bathroom.

Stripping of his clothes as he went, Lin made his way to the shower and switched it on to high power with moderate temperature. He stepped into the torrent of water and let it was over his aching body, the water sluicing through the number of scars scattered across it.

The next day dawned on Lin way too fast at it was only on the insistent banging on his door that woke him. He groggily sat up and his hand instinctively moved to the chest that was beside his bed. It was still there, causing a visible relief reaction to show before he managed to pull himself out of bed completely.

"Yeah, give me a minute!" he called over the banging and heard it silence and foot steps moving across the hall to the room opposite. "What time does he think this is…" Lin moaned but still dressed quickly and exited the room to fine Nemo facing him, the bags still clear under his eyes.

"Did you get any sleep at all last night?" Lin asked, slight concern in his voice.

"The same as usual, don't worry about me."

Lin looked at him and then continued on as if nothing had happened. "So we're going to collect all the supplies we need for the next leg of the journey. If you can go and get all the food we're going to need, I'll head off and grab some stuff for emergency repairs on the ship."

Lin handed Nemo a large wad of money and nodded his thanks to him before they split up and went about their collecting. They met back up a number of hours later, each hauling a large bag filled with provisions and the like. Neither of them spoke but Lin nodded to the direction of the harbour and they made their way swiftly.

The harbour was filled with the usual small fishing boat with a few slightly bigger ones gracing the water. However all of them gave off the feeling of being local, the marine boats all docked on the other side of the island being closer to the base. The one exception was a smallish boat tied up a the very extreme of the harbour, away from all the other boats.

It had a single white sail on a small mast in the centre, with a inner building that held a small kitchen and three beds. The two of them dumped the stuff inside and moved back out onto the deck.

"So this is it, my lovely ship that will take us across the seas." Lin said proudly.

"I must admit that it is better then I was expecting. In fact, you are far more prepared then I thought, considering you are an idiot."

"I'm an Idiot in only so many things."

"No Jolly Roger?"

"Yeah, I've got one but I take it down when I dock. I don't want any sneaking marines to impound my ship of take my stuff."

They both moved back inside and Lin pulled a mass of black fabric from a small chest off to the side. It was a jolly roger. It showed a normal skull, with the exception of a copy of Lin's facial scars on the white. And behind it, in a cross shape, were a pair of swords. The blades thicker then katana's but not by much, and the points were more curved then a cutlass.

"Not to shabby. I have no problem sailing under a jolly roger like that."

"I'm glad you like it, and with that I would like to officially congratulate you on joining me as a pirate of the seas!"

They exited the ship and headed back to their hotel, where they nodded goodbye's to each other and went into their rooms. This time, Lin had no trouble in his mind about anything. He placed his chest in its usually place by his side and drifted off to sleep in one go.

This time, Lin was awake before any banging started on his door and opened it just as Nemo was about to begin. "Let's head of then Nemo, to Supaida Island."

They quickly made it across to the harbour and set sail in their small boat and disappeared across the sea. Just as they left, Lisa, from the restaurant, came running out clutching some paper and shouting Lin's name. They were to far away and she stopped at the very edge of the wooden pier, staring after them.

She had two sheets of heavy paper clutched in her hand, exactly the same size and make…

** WANTED WANTED**

** Dead of Alive Dead of Alive**

"**Devil Leg" Lin "Nightmare" Nemo**

**B20,000,000 B15,000,000**

_A/N: A slightly shorter chapter that time, but I hope you enjoyed it! That brings me to the end of this arc (A short arc I know, but that's how it worked out.) and the next one starts next week!_


	10. This is the Wrong Island!

_A/N: Thanks for the support guys, hope you enjoy the chapter!_

**This Isn't The Right Island!**

The storm had raged for many hours but had finally settled down enough that the small ship that the pirates were travelling in was drifting slowly across the surface of the sea. Lin and Nemo emerged through the door that led to the one room interior and exited onto the deck. Lin stretched off his arms and let out a relieving groaning sound as he did so.

"Wow, that was much fiercer then I was expecting it. I've lost my bearings." He said and moved to the side of the ship to gaze out to sea. "You see an island anywhere, Nemo?"

As Lin had been stretching off, Nemo had moved to the other side of the ship to see if he could catch anything on the horizon. "Nothing but water, is there meant to be an island out here somewhere?"

"Well, hopefully. My navigational skills aren't top notch but they should be good enough for this. There should be…"

He was interrupted as Nemo pointed across the water to where a small smidgen of green appeared on the edge of their sight. "I've got an island in sight, head that way?"

"Definitely, hopefully it'll be the one I was aiming for but it won't be too much of a deal if it isn't. We can't be too far off course so we'll get directions from there."

With that, the two men worked together to get the sail back up an steer the ship towards the island in the distance. With the size of the ship it only took minutes to get it heading into the right direction and Lin took position by the rudder control, just in case. Nemo moved around the mast and sat down near the front of the ship, looking out to sea.

"So, Nemo, how come you don't sleep?" Lin asked casually, not even looking towards his friend.

There was a moment's pause before Nemo answered the question "…something happened a long time ago, I'm not going to talk about it, but since then I haven't been able to get more then and hour of sleep a day."

Lin took the hint and dropped the subject, moving onto something else he had been thinking about. "Something I forgot to ask you about your abilities; when you create something and use your pipe as a base, how come the pipe itself doesn't cause any physical damage?"

"The Yume power doesn't just use my pipe as a base as such, I call it that for need of a better word, but it changes it into the form I have commanded. So, say I create a katana to fight with; the red smoke doesn't just cover the pipe it transforms it into the substance to allow my weapon to do its purpose of attacking only the mind and leaving the body intact."

Lin looked up in thought. "Makes sense I suppose, I take it you are not a swordsman of any kind then."

"No, not of any kind. What would be the point of learning the art of one weapon when I can create any kind, even ones that don't exist, with my mind?"

A smile crept onto Lin's face. "That's a very good point, should've realised that before!" then he dropped into silence again, caught up in his own thoughts.

These thoughts were interrupted as Nemo decided it was his turn to ask some questions. "So you have asked about information on me, what about you; your kicks are pretty damn powerful."

"Pah, you and Klaken only felt a mere fraction of my power when I was fighting you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you know of a pirate named Zeff?"

"I've heard the name."

"Well his nickname was 'Red Leg' because he would beat his enemies with his leg and it would get covered in blood. His fighting style with his feet is extremely powerful and all I did was modify it somewhat and use it as my own style."

"That's pretty impressive; I heard Zeff was a strong pirate."

"He was, it's a shame what happened to him…" he trailed off and lapsed back into silence, the two of them settling in until they reached their destination.

Once the island was more visible to them, Lin instantly realised that this wasn't Supaida Island like he had planned; the storm had thrown him off course more then he had thought. Not that he had any idea which particular island this was.

The circled the island momentarily to find either a natural port or a manmade one if the island was inhabited. It turned out it was lived on and the ship came across a small wooden docks built into a small rocky outcrop. Lin moved to take down his pirate flag but Nemo waved at him to stop.

"It's alright, look closely at the other two ships docked there; both pirate ships."

Lin followed Nemo's line of sight and saw a large galleon and a smaller caravel side by side, both of them sporting the black flag of the pirates. Lin didn't recognise the Jolly Roger's, so shrugged and left his own flag flying, showing to any spotters that they were pirates; whether that would turn out to be good or bad was yet to be seen.

The island wasn't tremendously big but it was far from being small, it was covered mostly with thick forests and vegetation, but scattered around it were settlements; most of them small villages but some of them closer to being cities. One of these, the bigger settlements, was closest to the dock where Lin and Nemo had just arrived and was where they started to head when they had tied the ship up.

It was a path that you couldn't get lost on unless you deliberately strayed into the forest, it was wide and the edges and been sectioned off with small wooden posts connected by chains. Someone clearly cared enough for visitors to do this and it suggested to Lin that the island gets its fair share of visitors during the year.

The two pirates walked side by side down the track, at a casual stroll, in silence. It wasn't long before they reached the outskirts of the town where houses started to appear and people were walking around. It was a nice day so there was quite a lot of people wandering round and Lin decided asking one of these people where they were was probably the best bet.

"Excuse me!" he called but the man he had directed his words too completely ignored him. He shrugged and moved onto a woman with blonde hair. "What is this island called?" but again he was totally ignored. He turned to Nemo "Is there something on my face?"

"Apart from an ugly scar? I don't think it is you that is the problem; if you look closely you'll see that no-one is making eye contact with each other. They are just staring at their destinations; also, none of them are talking to each other either."

Lin frowned but then shrugged and started walking again, Nemo in tow. As he got close to a person they would suddenly swing away like they were the same pole of a magnet. It was strange but Lin was not worried, they would simply get closer to the centre of the town and somewhere would be the name of the island.

It was another 10 minute walk before they reached a large fountain that seemed to be the centre of the town. It was in the middle of a large circular square and the buildings were all central to the town; banks, high profile shops, a large library and a large building which looked to Lin to be the town hall or an equivalent.

This is the building he headed to now, strolling confidently across the square with long strides. As they walked Nemo's eyes were flicking around and spotting people who seemed to be marines, although they all had a symbol of a bear on their breast pockets indicating they were something else. Nemo was suspicious and made a mental note to keep an eye on anyone dressed like that; considering all of them were armed with a rifle and a cutlass.

The building was the largest in the square and had large pillars outlining a raised platform and the doors were as large as the walls and a shiny brown. As Lin approached them they started to swing inwards with a loud ominous creaking sound, like they were entering a haunted house.

They came into a large reception area, the floor a shiny red marble like substance and the walls bright white, as they cleared the doors they slowly swung shut again, closing with a small click. Both Lin and Nemo turned around, expecting to see someone behind the doors but there was no one there for them to see. Lin paused momentarily with a strange suspicion on his mind but shrugged it away before walking in a straight line, heading for the large reception desk at the end of the hall.

When they were within 3 paces of the desk, the petite lady behind it perked her head up and looked at Lin like he was the most important person in the world at that particular point; a good receptionist technique. Her eyes asked him without words 'How may I help you, I will do all in my power to make sure you are satisfied'.

"Excuse me, could I inquire as to the name of this island?" he asked, leaning his elbows on the shiny lacquered desk.

A look of surprise flashed across her face before recomposing itself to its attentive receptionist look. "This is the Isle of Judicator or Judicator Island. How may I help you?"

Lin paused and thought about the name of the island, it was not one he recognised which worried him. "How far away is this island from Supaida Island?"

Again there was a brief flash of Surprise. "Supaida Island is the next island directly South East of here. How may I help you?"

Lin was starting to get weird feelings and made the decision that they wouldn't stay on this island, despite overshooting their target. However as he turned around to exit the building he found a mountain of a man standing in his way.

He was a size that made someone like Klaken look like a child, not a giant in Giant terms but a clear giant in Human terms. He was dressed in what seemed to be a marine uniform that on closer inspection revealed the symbol of a roaring bear on his breast pocket.

"Yes?" Lin inquired innocently, despite the fact his hands had slipped into his pocket and Nemo had silently withdrawn his pipe from its harness.

"The Captain would like a word with you…" he drawled the words and Lin had a hard time actually understanding what he was saying. After a lag of a second where he was figuring out what was said Lin relaxed his stance, with Nemo following suit behind him, and removed his hands from his pockets.

"No problem, take me to your leader."

A massive hand swung on a huge arm like a hammer and pointed towards a door off to the side of the large room. Lin nodded and walked quickly over to it and raised his hand to open it, he stopped mid stride and turned to see Nemo had not moved and was still stood in front of the giant with something in his eyes.

"Come on Nemo, the boss wants to see us." Lin said, watching Nemo's reaction carefully.

"You go ahead; I just want to have a quick word with this one." His eyes never leaving the others.

"Okay, don't go causing any trouble now." Lin warned and then swept through the door.

As he entered through the door he discovered himself to be standing directly in someone's office. It was moderately sized, with fancy pictures on the wall and an expensive looking sofa against one wall. There was a large sturdy desk at the end with a skinny man sat behind it.

Because he was sitting down, Lin couldn't see how tall he was, but his skinniness suggested he was quite tall. He had long white hair, swept back and running down to the floor, which was thick and stuck out in odd directions and sparkling red eyes that shone in the gloom of the office. His top was bare except for a crisscrossing of leather straps running up his right arm and finishing at his shoulder with a sort of leather armour piece. He was wearing dark purple trousers tied at the waist with a black sash and at his ankles with black rope. His feet were bared and showed off perfectly manicured nails and rough soles that suggested he never wore shoes.

Behind him on the wall was a large black pirate flag with a jolly roger of a roaring bears head with cross bones behind it. Lin nodded to himself as he guessed who the figure was. "I take it you are the captain of the pirate crew docked at the bay?"

"That…is correct." He said, taking short pauses between each word. "I am Captain Marshall T Kubin. Captain of the Roaring Bear pirates." His pauses made it hard to listen to him talking. "I received intelligence that a very powerful pirate had ducked at the shore, his jolly roger being unmistakable; clearly it was. However, I shall not be inhospitable, what is it you want on my island?"

"Just passing through, Captain Kubin, we were heading to Supaida Island and got caught in a storm that brought us too far North West then planned." Marshall nodded slowly and indicated that Lin continue. "If it is possible, I would like to take my partner and head off as soon as possible."

"What, and miss the party…" he said and the desk exploded.

Lin was surprised but reacted fast enough that the tip of a massive sword missed his nose by millimetres before coming to a stop pointing at his head. The sword was one of the largest Lin had ever seen and was superbly made.

It was about 8 ft long from the pommel to the tip of the blade and looked to weigh a ton, despite Marshall holding it with one hand with no trouble. Its blade was like an enlarged katana blade although a dark grey, its guard was golden and curled up on the blade side and down on the other, there was a 'V' shape of the blade metal in the handle and led to a long handle wrapped in black cotton finishing at a golden pommel.

"I don't believe it…" Lin said as he stared at the sword in front of him "My god, Rekishichizu…"

Marshall's face drew into a wicked smile.

_A/N: Dun dun dun, Rekishichizu; what could this mean! Keep reading to find out, next time on One Piece Full Throttle!_


	11. The Atlas Blade

_A/N: Having fun reading guys and gals? Hope so, sorry this one is a tad late but it's here now so don't panic! Thanks again for your reviews and read on!_

**The Atlas Blade**

"Oh, so you know of this sword?" Marshall said, his face still frozen in a wicked grin, showing teeth that were sharpened to a point.

Lin was staring at the sword in amazement. _One of the Saijo O Wazamono! I don't believe it, how did such a low class pirate get his hands on that! _He thought, still staring at the tip of the blade. "Yes, I have heard of it; one of the 12 Saijo O Wazamono swords, on class with Kokutou Yoru wielded by Hawk-Eyes."

"Yes…one of the 12 greatest swords in the world…and I'm pretty good with it." his smile disappeared briefly and the sword seemed to flicker out like a light, before reappearing in the same place.

Lin was well practiced, though, and saw what was going to happen a second before it did; giving him time to react accordingly. As the blade disappeared he ducked and span, the invisible blade of air slicing where his neck had been moments before, as he spun 360o his foot flashed out and collided with the flat of the blade, but Marshall was strong enough to prevent himself from moving.

At the same time the wall behind Lin, with the door, exploded as the attack struck it. When the dust had settled it showed a large gash in the wall that could easily fit a fully grown man. Lin and Marshall were still stuck together as though with glue, neither one giving up their position.

Marshall was impressed that Lin's kick could stop him from moving forward, he was using all his strength simply to stop himself flying through the roof. "I'm impressed with you…" he said, still leaving a pause between each word. "Although you are not the one I was informed you are, you are powerful. This is all the better for me but I'm afraid much worse for you."

Lin didn't care what he was talking about but was trying to think of a way he could break the clash without being cut in half or destroying the building. It came to him pretty quickly and a smile of his own appeared on his face. He was crouched low on the floor, his leg extended upwards to Marshall's tall frame that was holding the kick at chest height with his sword. Lin dropped his hands to the floor and freed his other foot, allowing him to plant a heel in Marshall's stomach.

Marshall saw it coming and, although he didn't want to back away from the clash, arched his stomach in an attempt to soften the blow. It worked, but not enough, he was lifted off of the floor and the pressure he was applying to Lin released itself allowing the pirate to make a follow up attack.

He spun on his hands, his feet not touching the floor, and kicked out Marshall's feet causing him to spin around in the air so his head was facing the floor. At the same time his other foot connected with his stomach again and this time it had enough force to throw him backwards and crash into his flag and collapsing the wall around him.

Lin used the opportunity to escape the confines of the small office and kicked his way through the door, reducing what was left of it to splinters, and into the atrium he had passed through. When he got there he saw the large Roaring Bear Pirate flat on his back with Nemo sat on his chest with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin in his hands, the pipe safely back in its harness.

"Didn't I say not to cause a problem?" Lin said, but with a smile on his face.

"He heard his Captain draw his sword and attacked me. It wasn't a long fight." He said matter-of-factly, a bored look splashed across his face. "How was the Captain?"

"He'll be here any mom…" he was interrupted as two diagonal gashes appeared in the office wall and the wall exploded again except this time it exploded into tiny pieces of rubble as Marshall appeared in the space it left behind.

"That wasn't very nice, now was it?" his voice dripping with sarcasm and mixed with the pauses between words it sounded very strange.

He lunged forward, his long legs carrying him far with few steps, and sliced down at Lin. Lin dodged it but when he looked back at Marshall he realised that it had been entirely unnecessary. Nemo had moved in with extreme speed, retrieved his pipe, and blocked the attack all in one go. It also helped that he had transformed his pipe into a copy of The Atlas Blade that Marshall held in his own hand.

"Interesting Devil Fruit…" he said as he started to push Nemo down with his strength. "It seems you can copy the weapon you fight?"

"Wrong." Nemo said and the sword in his hand swirled like a vortex and transformed from the Atlas Sword and into a broad bladed pole arm with the blade against Marshall's. Marshall looked impressed but Lin could see that his physical strength was too much for Nemo so darted forward.

He appeared on top of Nemo's pole arm and as he span his body he pushed Nemo's weapon one way and Marshal's the other, putting himself between the two. Then without hesitating he continued through another rotation and kicked Marshall in the side of the head to send him flying towards the gargantuan pair of doors.

"It's alright Nemo, I'll take care of this guy, you interrogate giant boy over there and find out what is going on here! He's not dead is he?" he asked as an afterthought, looking at the sprawled out body.

"He only thinks he is, he'll come around in a couple of minutes."

"Good, make him tell you what his Captain planned to do with us!"

Nemo nodded his compliance and moved back to sitting on the mans chest, ready for when he woke up. Lin turned his attention back to Marshall who had lifted himself off the floor and flexed his muscles and neck. Now that he was stood at full height and not running, Lin could see that his hair nearly touched the floor and he stood nearly a foot taller then him; which made him pretty tall.

Lin didn't wait to see if Marshall had re-orientated himself but instead raced forward, his powerful legs propelling him forward with extreme speed. Marshall drew back with surprise as Lin seemed to appear in front of him and in this moment Lin planted a foot into his face. The force of the kick smashed him backwards and he collided with the door and although it bent it didn't break causing Lin to slide down to the floor.

Except Lin didn't give him time to do that as he kicked him in the stomach, this time smashing the doors, and the force launched him across the square and he crashed into the fountain, the rock crumbling onto his prone body. As Lin appeared outside, the gathered pirates all raised their weapons and prepared to shoot him dead on the steps he descended.

"NO ONE DOES ANYTHING!" the roar was loud and lacked the normal pauses that Marshall used as he spoke, and was followed with the man rearing out of the rubble and screaming into the sky. "I'LL CUT YOU INTO PIECES!"

His sword flashed forward with its flickering style and gashes appeared in the ground in front of Lin, inching closer with each one. Lin, however, was not perturbed and stood like a statue at the base of the stairs, watching the surroundings closely. Suddenly he spun on the spot and kicked out at the air, causing the ground to explode a couple of feet to his right.

Marshall looked at Lin with complete terror in his face, which was as white as a sheet, and wobbled slightly on his feet. "How is that possible? You can't kick the air itself…"

"Don't be silly, of course not. But you are not attacking me with air." Marshall looked confused but Lin didn't offer any further explanation as he ran forwards.

However his advance was halted as the ground exploded in front of him, with the whistling of a cannon ball flying through the air. Lin dived to the side and the ground exploded again, where he had been standing before. His landing was graceful and he turned to face Marshall who was turning to flee.

"Scared already?" he shouted and Marshall froze mid stride.

He turned around slowly and his face showed true rage "Don't you dare…" he said through clenched teeth. "I AM NOT SCARED!" and with that roar he charged forward again, his sword dragging along behind him.

When he reached the stationary Lin, his sword flickered again except this time so did Lin's leg and Marshall was surprised once again as his swing was stopped with Lin's foot pressing against the guard.

"Again! What the hell are you?" he yelled as he pulled his sword away and backed off a couple of paces.

"Pretty annoyed is what. I wanted to simply leave this place and travel onwards on my journey but instead you have some crazy idea to do with me and my friend; which I will not accept." He paused and flexed his fingers. "Which for you was a pretty stupid idea." his foot fuzzed like before and Marshall's head flicked back with blood escaping between his teeth.

"It seems you are no kind of swordsman, you simply happen to know one little trick. This is impressive the first time you have seen it but after 12 times it is simple to counter; especially with an amateur like yourself wielding the blade."

Rage escaped into Marshall's face again and he lunged forward, the blade of his sword hissing through the air. Lin spun around the attack and a well placed kick to the throat made Marshall stumble back clutching at his neck. Lin ducked forward and stabbed at Marshall's toes with his heel, which made him crouch forward in pain which allowed Lin to deliver the kick equivalent to the cigar-punch.

Marshall was thrown up and backwards, more blood escaping his mouth, and he arched through the air before landing in a heap on the dusty floor. He wriggled for a little bit but soon settled down as Lin kicked him in the side to shut him up.

He gurgled and then dropped into silence with Lin looking down at him with interest. "You know Marshall…" Marshall noticed the drop of 'Captain Kubin' "…with a little training, you could be quite the formidable swordsman; how about you join my crew!"

Marshall laughed, causing blood to spit into the air, and looked up at Lin with hatred. "Like hell, little ass! The next time we meet I'll take your head for sure!"

"The next time we meet…?" Lin quizzed before something exploded in front of him and the entire area was filled with a white smoke. "What the…?" he called and stumbled back as something exploded right in front of him, where Marshall had been.

5 minutes later, after the smoke had cleared, Lin was sat on the steps to the hall with his hands resting on his knees. "I don't believe I fell for such a stupid trick! Smoke bombs, pah to them!" he said.

Nemo appeared behind him and walked slowly down the steps to sit beside his Captain. "You get him?"

"No, little snake escaped with some help from a smoke bomb! A smoke bomb dammit!" he paused to compose himself and turned to face Nemo "How did the questioning go?"

"He told me everything…"

"And is he dead?"

"No, but he won't be coming after us within the next year."

Lin shrugged "So what did you discover."

"It turns out that on certain occasions, this island celebrates their god. They do this by sacrificing warriors, the stronger the warrior, the longer break they can have between festivals; hence the irregularity. It just happens that his festival is tomorrow and we turned up here with bad timing. Apparently, your flag was confused with another Pirate's, a pirate that would halt sacrifices for the next 100 years."

Lin paused to consider with the next question, but he decided to go ahead with it. "Which pirate was I supposed to be."

"A pirate who, around 20 years ago, challenged even the Yonkou in power, a pirate called Kai Velure."

Lin's eyes rolled around in their sockets as he thought "I've heard the name before somewhere…I guess I would if he was that powerful. I'm flattered they thought I was such a guy. But if this guy could challenge the Yonkou then I've got a fair way to go before I am that powerful."

He got up and stretched off with a yawn. "If this festival thing is tomorrow, then I suppose they are going to come after us again at some point. It's better if we go and find Marshall and kick the crap out of him and his crew before anything bad happens. Let's go over to the next town."

Nemo nodded his approval and stood up next to his captain. They both paused for a second and then stepped forward, heading in separate directions. They both stopped and turned around to face each other.

"What are you doing Nemo? As Captain I get to decide the direction we take!" he said with Nemo offering no reaction.

"Even if I got the location of the closest town off the guy?"

Lin paused and then started in the direction Nemo had been going. "I suppose this direction isn't bad."

Nemo didn't say anything and instead simply matched Lin's pace and fell in behind him.

_A/N: Duh duh duh, Marshall has one of the 12 best swords in the world; just like Mihawk, although not quite on the same level right? :) Have fun and keep eyes and ears open for the next chapter coming your way!_


	12. The Next Town Across

_A/N: Thanks to all you lovely readers who take the time to catch up with my story! Sorry this one is a bit late, I had to do some fiddlemejiggers before I could get it on to FF, but not to panic, all is fine now! Read on!_

**The Next Town Across**

An hour passed in the world by the time Lin and Nemo came across the fringes of the next town, having had no further run ins with the Roaring Bear pirates or their captain. The town, in comparison to the grander town before, this one was much more run down. All the buildings were coloured a murky brown, windows were boarded up, doors were nailed shut and most of it was in dire need of repair. Civilians were milling about in clothes matching the walls in colour.

"Wow, not quite the, uh, best town on the island." Lin said, looking around at the broken buildings.

"Each town on this island is in a ranking system, the higher it is the better quality the buildings are and what the civilians can wear and use. The town we just left was the top, hence why Marshall was there, and judging by the buildings here this isn't very high on the list."

Lin looked across at him and nodded "Impressive, how did you know that."

"I didn't just sit and poke that big guy from before, did I?"

"Good point, well taken. Now all we have to do is come up with a plan to lure out Marshall and finish him and his pirate crew off so we can get out of here."

"He can't stop us leaving."

"No, but he's insulted me and you which is a big no-no in my books." He stroked his chin as he thought about what he could do until something sparked in his eyes. "Aha, I know what we can do now. You head into the centre of town, beat down on some bear pirates until Marshall has had enough and comes to fight you!"

"And you?" Nemo replied, picking up on the lack of Lin in the plan.

"I'm going to find a dissenter somewhere, there must be someone on this island that doesn't like the way Marshall is running and has the balls to speak to me. I want some more information on him and this sacrificial ceremony that he wants us for."

He started walking again, intending to speak to the first person he came across but as soon as they came within recognizable distance to the civilians they all rushed off the street and into the houses, which weren't as abandoned as they look. They disappeared so fast that Lin thought they didn't even try and get into their own homes, just getting off the street and away from them.

"Clearly Marshall has put the word out on us. This is gonna make my search more difficult" Lin said with a sigh.

"Probably not…" Nemo replied "…with everyone off the street, the dissenter will find it more comfortable approaching you or, as I suspect is more likely, gaining your attention from afar. They can get you from a window and point you to a deserted place out of the way of spying eyes and then talk to you without the worry of being spotted by other people who would inform Marshall or his pirates."

"That…makes a lot of sense." Lin smiled in agreement. "See, I knew there was a reason I wanted you on my crew." He stretched off his arms and then pointed down the central street in front of them. "You head off down there, Nemo, beat up any pirates you come across, if Marshall turns up give it your best in taking him down, but don't die on me, and then I'll head down this here side street and see who I can find."

Nemo nodded and reached to his back, withdrawing his pipe from its harness and holding it loosely in his hand, ready for action. Then he set off down the street, his menace readily radiating from him.

Lin watched him for a couple of minutes and then headed off down the side street he had indicated earlier. He walked slowly, keeping his eyes on the windows, seeing if anyone was trying to catch his eye, but no one was. All the curtains were shut and it felt like they were hiding in corners hugging there knees.

After a couple of minutes Lin huffed and starts to move across to the next street when, at the last second, he catches sight of a pair of eyes gazing out at him from a nearby house. He froze on the spot and kept his eyes forward, looking at the watcher with his peripheral vision.

There was a small gesture and Lin knew that he had found his dissenter and he was glad that he had found them so soon. He looked around, as if decided which direction to take, and then casually wondered over to the house the person was looking out from. Another gesture told him to move to the right of the house where he caught sight of a small alley between the two houses.

Lin glanced around but couldn't see anyone looking out so quickly slipped into the alley, taking a couple of paces before coming across a wooden door in what he presumed to be some sort of garden fence. While debating what action to take next, the gate opened and a short old man pulled him into the garden, slamming the door behind him.

The man glanced around furtively and pushed Lin in the small of the back, propelling him to the back door leading into the house. He didn't resist for long and ducked into the house, letting the man duck in front of him, before following the old man down the hall.

They came straight into some sort of living room and Lin took a seat in a sagging sofa, the man remained standing by the back door. "You are the pirates, Captain Kubin was talking about." He said, his voice husky and shaky like the old man he was. It was a statement, not a question so Lin didn't answer, instead he looked at the old man politely.

As he watched, the man backed away and disappeared into another room for a minute before returning and taking a seat on a chair as battered as the sofa Lin sat on. "So, you are here to take Captain Kubin out?" he asked

Lin considered a second before answering but decided to go ahead with it. "Thanks to himself, Marshall decided to make me and my friend the sacrifices for tomorrow's ceremony."

The man looked surprised. "Sacrifices, you? I am surprised; I didn't take you to be too strong. Then again, maybe you aren't that strong if he wants to sacrifice both of you."

Lin ignored the jibe an instead continued on with his reason. "So what is this sacrifice stuff about."

"The god of this island isn't a very calm one, it destroys stuff every year with earthquakes, tsunami's, tornado's, you name it, he does it. Then, when Captain Kubin came along, he surmised that if we somehow pleased the god, he would stop the destruction." He paused to take a wheezing breath. "So sure enough within the next week, Captain Kubin picked the strongest warrior on the island and slit his throat at the peak of the mountain. For the next 5 months, no disaster struck and Captain Kubin took over as leader of the island."

"However, at the end of the 5th month, things started up again as usual. In a stroke of genius, the Captain killed the strongest person on his crew. This time there was no disasters for over a year; this made Captain Kubin believe that the stronger the warrior the longer it takes between each sacrifice, and he doesn't like sacrificing people." The man shuffled in his seat slightly and pulled himself up straighter. "And thus the ceremony began each time the disasters struck. In fact, Captain Kubin has managed to devise a way to predict how long each sacrifice will last for."

Lin nodded, happy with the explanation that the old man had given him. "What about Marshall, what can you tell me about him."

"He came to the island 12 years ago, discovered the sacrificial rites, and from then on went out on missions to obtain strong warriors to sacrifice and each time came back to do so. Then he would stay in Town One until the deadline was a week away and he would be off again. In fact…"

Lin raised his hand and the man stopped in mid sentence, wondering why he had had to do so. Then the wood behind Lin's head exploded and Lin had milliseconds to react, ducking forward and sideways, the blade passing within millimetres of his head, slicing through a couple of his blue hairs.

He rolled on the floor and recovered to one knee beside the old man on his chair, who had not reacted to the intrusion in any way other then a sly smile. Lin didn't waste any time wondering how Marshall found him, the sword a dead give away as to the attacker, and instead jumped forward and crashing through the wall with his foot.

His heel connected with Marshall's jaw and the lanky pirate captain was thrown backwards with a cloud of dust erupting from his sliding feet. Lin landed in front of him and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Marshall…I wondered when you'd try and get me again, still not going well for you?"

Strangely, the smile that was spread on Marshall's face didn't waver, not even a quiver. "I know what you are trying to do, find someone brave enough to talk to you about me. I don't care about the ceremony, that's common information."

Lin didn't wait any longer and rushed forward, the dirt kicking up under his fast moving feet. Marshall responded with his blur attack but Lin simply dodged them with a well placed jump. Marshall laughed out loud at what he thought to be an ideal opportunity and launches a flurry of flying attacks.

However, Lin wasn't an idiot, with a twist of his body his fast moving feet made easy work of the attacks, blasting them off into different directions and away from his body. Lin landed with a bounce and attempted to attack only to find Marshall standing on the roof of the building opposite.

"Running away already are we?"

Marshall's smile faltered for the first time but he held onto it by clenching his teeth. "Not at all, I just want to give you a fighting chance. I know of a person who can help you, I'll even give you her name; Eneru." He paused to watch Lin's reaction, despite there not being one. "We'll play a game, a competition to see who can find the little Angel first. If I find her, she's dead, if you find her I'll let you finish your conversation with her with no interruption from myself or any of the Roaring Bear Pirates."

Lin was dubious but played along. "Hardly fair, you already know where she is I take it."

"Not at all. She has been a thorn in my side for too long, if I had a chance to kill her, I would have done so. She has somehow managed to escape from me for a long time and to be honest, it is frustrating."

"Alright then, since you don't want to fight me directly, I'll play your game. You just better hope that you keep to your side of the bargain."

Marshall didn't reply but instead dashed away across the rooftops, his long legs making it a simple task for him. Lin stood still for a moment and then confronted the problem he had about finding the girl; seeking someone in hiding was not a specialty of his or, in fact, a skill he possessed at all.

He spun slowly in a 360 degree arc, looking and thinking about where someone could hide for a long time from someone like Marshall. He was about to start walking in a random direction when he caught sight of a church spire in the distance and a smile slowly crept onto his face.

_That's gotta be it. A church will have loads of sneaky hidey holes for someone on the run to hide in. In fact, with the privacy of a Priest and their insistence about certain things happening in the house of the lord then she would also have protection! I'm a genius._

He started walking towards the church, sticking to the streets that pointed towards the spire which he could always see, no matter where he stood. He walked at a slow pace, idly looking around as if he had no destination in mind but was simply wandering in a hope to find Eneru. This was a precaution against the possibility that Marshall would follow him and take Eneru should he actually find her.

It took him just over 20 minutes at the pace he was walking, but by that time the sun had disappeared behind a thick layer of black clouds which threatened to drop its load at any time. Lin glanced up with apprehension in his eyes; he didn't like the rain, and quickened his pace as the front gate came into view.

The gates were large black things, the metal forged into swirls and vortexes like the gates of heaven, a large chain and padlock hung around the centre, blocking off access to everyone.

Lin shook the chain lightly, decided against trying to break it, and looked up at the top of the gate. _No Spikes. _He thought and then used his powerful legs to leap into the air, touch the top of the gate and then come to a rest in a crouch on the other side. He walked forward and a fat drop of water fell from the sky and splattered against his skin, like a precursor to the rain to come.

He dashed forward and just managed to hide beneath the stone arch outside the door before the torrential rain started. In seconds, everything Lin could see was soaked as if dropped into a swimming pool, a waterfall fell of the arch Lin was under and blurred his view.

He watched the rain for a while, something in his eyes, before the unlocking of the door behind him snapped him out of it and he turned around to come face to face with the blade of a sword pointing at his throat.

"The foreign pirate, I take it." The man said, his voice smooth and rough both at the same time.

_A/N: Ta da! Keep your eyes and ears peeled for next week's chapter…well, technically it will be later this week but you get the picture right? :)_


	13. The Girl At The Bottom Of The Tower

_A/N: Hi~ guys and gals! I just realised that I missed my Authors note in my last chapter, stunned! But yeah, there is a mistake in my last chapter that I'll point out here; 'Eneru' should actually be 'Enjeru'. I didn't realise I did it until a couple of days after I'd posted the chapter and couldn't be arsed to change it. It has been corrected in this chapter though. Anywho, Read on! _

**The Girl at the Bottom of the Tower**

The sword was very simple, nothing fancy, its blade was flat and broad with a simple circular guard. The man holding it was dressed just as simple; his hair was cut short and was a dull blonde, his eyes a dark brown, he wore a simple black number with a heavy leather belt around his waist which Lin guessed he used to sheath his sword in.

"What do you want here, I don't think Kubin would take kindly to me letting you in." he asked with clear hostility in his voice.

"Simply a place to hide out of the rain and let the storm pass."

"I don't believe you, but why would I let you in anyway, I'll just call Kubin here."

"No you won't"

"Why not?"

"Because, so far, you are the only one that doesn't call him Captain."

The man thought for a second and then lowered his sword, sliding it back into the leather strap at his waist. "True enough, my name is Luke, please come inside." He stepped back to let Lin pass and as he did, closed the large door behind him, locking it with a large key on three separate locks.

Luke slipped the key into his pocket and passed Lin, indicating for him to follow, which he did so. They walked down the left aisle of the church and came to a standard door leading into a small kitchen. They entered and as Luke moved over to the coffee machine, switching it on and then resting on the side, Lin moved to the opposite side and rested his shoulders against the wall.

"So then what brings you to this little island?" Luke said conversationally, not even looking at Lin as he spoke.

"An accident, a storm caught us off guard and we thought this was Supaida Island, turns out it wasn't." he chuckled at his last remark.

"Clearly so, Supaida Island is quite the way from here." Luke said, his eyes now turned towards Lin with more interest. "Why stay then, nothing is forcing you."

"I was planning on leaving as soon as I got directions, which I did, but then Marshall decided that me and my friend would make good sacrifices and that wasn't very nice of him, so I'm going to give him a piece of my mind and remove him from this island."

Luke nodded. "That makes sense…"

"You realise the machine is finished?"

"Let's get to the point, what are you really doing here? You're not here just to get out of the rain, you could have done that in any building you passed, and don't tell me it's because its not polite."

This time it was Lin's turn to nod. "I'm glad you are observant and clever Luke, there seems to be no better guard; I just wonder how good you are at fighting." As he spoke, Luke's hand moved towards his sword. "But I'm sure you are fine at it, I'm not here to fight Luke."

"Then why?"

"I'm here to talk to Enjeru…" Lin left the name hanging in the air, which it did in the dead silence.

"Then a church would indeed be the best bet."

"No, not _an _angel. A person who goes by the name 'Enjeru', a girl."

Luke did nothing except narrow his eyes. "I'm afraid there are no people here except for me…I didn't catch your name."

"I didn't give it, and don't play dumb with me." Lin growled, a small amount of anger slipping into his words.

"Don't worry Luke, you can send him down." A small voice said from a hidden location.

Lin looked around but couldn't see where the voice could have come from; there wasn't even a den den mushi in the room, until Luke pulled a mini one out of his pocket.

"As you wish." Was all he said before replacing into his pocket and turning on his heel before heading out the door.

Lin followed him and they went up to the altar, moving behind the large wooden table where Luke pulled away a heavy rug which revealed the faint outline of a trap door. Luke knocked on the door with some prearranged rhythm and a small plume of dust erupted out of the cracks as someone on the inside pushed up.

A long bare arm reached up, pushing the door clear, and a gaunt figure with brown hair running down his back looked up. "I take it you are the foreign pirate?" he said, looking at Lin and completely ignoring Luke.

"Why does everyone call me foreign" Lin muttered before following the man down the hole and into the dark. Then it was complete darkness as Luke shut the door from above. A flickering light appeared and Lin realised that the man had lit a flaming torch from a bracket on the wall.

The two walked down a bare rocky corridor, seemingly just sliced out of the earth, and came to a simple wooden door. Once again, the man knocked on the door with a prearranged rhythm and it clicked as someone unlocked it from the inside and it swung open a little bit. The man moved out of the way and gestured Lin forward and into the room.

The room was bare of anything luxurious and was instead filled with only the necessities. There was a table on one side, a fridge on the other with a cooker next to it and a simple bed on the far wall; everything was made out of wood, even the cooker; although Lin suspected it wasn't normal wood.

What surprised him was the small girl sat on the bed, a small girl a number of years younger then himself. She had long dark flowing hair, framing a face that held dark blue eyes and unblemished skin. She was wearing a black shirt, fastened at the wrists but tied up above her belly button, which showed off a piercing in the shape of the letter 'E', and blue jeans with nothing on her feet although there was a pair of white sandals at the end of the bed. On her wrist was as simple silver bracelet that showed no pattern or scribe on it at all. She was looking at Lin curiously as though she hadn't seen anything like him, then he noticed it was the scars she was interested in.

"A Long story…" Lin said and the girl jumped at his voice. "I'm Lin, nice to meet you."

"My name is Mayo E Savilia, is Lin your only name or does it come with a partner?"

"Just Lin, Mayo. I hear you are the person to talk to if I want to find out more information about the dear Marshall."

"That would probably be the case as me; Mr Luke and Mr Dacule are the only ones on this island willing to stand up against him."

"Interesting, so what can you tell me Mayo?"

"I notice you like to call people by their first names Lin, is there a reason for that?"

"Would you prefer it if I called you Ms Savilia?" Lin replied with a smile.

"No it is fine. Now you wanted to know about Mr Kubin?"

"Yes."

"Might I ask as to why it is you have to deal with him?"

"Simple, he not only insulted me and my friend but he also threatened us and to do that to me is a big mistake." again a faint whiff of anger entered his voice as he spoke.

"Really? Then I guess you will be interested in what I have to say. Mr Kubin, as you may already know, was the one who originally discovered the idea of sacrificing warriors to stem the wrath of this island's so called god. He would bring in people from the outside or wait for pirates to come across this island while on their way to the Grand Line."

"Now according to Marshall and his crew, the disasters that were striking this island for many, many years were all natural. However I happen to know that they are not natural, Marshall created himself with the help of some people on his crew with Devil Fruit abilities. Then he came to the island and proclaimed that the killing of people would stop the disasters, which he orchestrated in the first place."

"How do you know the people on his crew?"

"For a few years I worked as a cabin boy on his ship, during his travels. He was not the only pirate ship I sailed on but his crew was most definitely the most powerful."

Mayo shifted slightly on her bed and leant her back against the wall. "And then, stuck on this island thanks to Mr Kubin and the rest, I made it my duty to stop his murdering spree."

"That's quite the righteous cause you have there, but with three of you how were you ever going to take him down; he's quite strong."

"I was waiting for someone like you, someone with the strength to fight him and I am quite skilled with the blade, albeit not in a bushido way. But, you see, in the last 12 years, you are the only person to survive a fight with him."

"12 _years_! He isn't that strong, there must be plenty of people stronger then him."

"I'm afraid it's true, they are always caught by surprise when confronted with his blurring arm move."

"Ok, I'll give you that."

"However, there is more that I need to tell you…" however, whatever it was Mayo wanted to impart onto Lin was lost to a tremendous crash from along the tunnel that Lin had entered the hidden room from.

It was followed by a roar of anger and more crashing before the door burst open under the pressure of an imitation air cannon the tunnel had created with the dust from the tunnel. Lin jumped forward to avoid the pressure and Mayo raised her arms to cover her face, coughing as the air was replaced by dust.

There was a gurgling sound and the long haired man appeared out of the debris, blood leaking from the side of his mouth and something sticking out of his stomach. "Ma…yo, ru…nn." He said before his body went limp and was only held standing by whatever had pierced him.

"Dacule?" Mayo said and started to move forward but Lin stuck his arm out and stopped her.

"No, he's already dead." He said, his voice suddenly extremely serious.

"Che he he he he, of course he is." A voice drawled out making both Mayo gasp in surprise and Lin to look with disbelief.

Lin was in disbelief, not because of who stood before him, he knew that Marshall would have found him eventually; he was surprised because of what he was holding in his hand. The sword was as large as the Atlas blade but the blade was a dull grey, its guard was a simple piece of steel bolted on and the handle was wrapped in black cotton like substance. What was most striking about it was the dragon cut into the full length of the blade, so that a person could look through it.

"Oh, you recognise this as well; you have been around, haven't you?" Marshall breathed, resting the tip against the floor.

"Ryuujin Toorima….the Dragon God Slayer. How the hell are you in possession of _2_ of the 12?"

"Well, let's just say that it fell into my hands a few years ago."

"That's absolutely ridiculous!" he shouted and then rushed forward to attack.

Marshall was quick to react and flicked his sword around and caught Lin's foot on the flat of the blade. Like the first time they had met, the two stopped in mid strike, their strength a match for each other.

This time though, Lin's face was in total seriousness, something about Marshall holding onto two of the Saijo O Wazamono swords had gotten to him and made him angry.

He moved to push Marshall away but found that he couldn't, something about Marshall had changed and he was actually starting to push him backwards. There was a brief couple of seconds where he started moving backwards slowly and then he was lifted off the floor and into the air.

Marshall roared in laughter and flung Lin into the air with enough force that he splintered his way through the wood and smashed through the rock and didn't reappear again. Marshall dropped his eyes and looked down at Mayo, who was still sitting on the bed.

The sword spiked forward but Mayo had the advantage in size, diving forwards and between Marshall's legs. She rolled to a crawl and her hand snaked out to one of the floorboards, lifting it free and flicking it towards Marshall. The plank smashed him in the face as he turned to face Mayo and he stumbled back as Mayo withdrew a leather belt and two swords from a gap in the floor.

She strapped the belt on and the swords hung by her hips, one on each side. She quickly drew them and spun them in her hands before gripping them tightly in her hands.

"Che he he, oh little Mayo…" Marshall said, having recovered from the plank strike. "Are you going to try and fight me?"

_A/N: Ta-da, look who's back! Sorry this chapter was a bit late, I blame my computer, it's always my computer's fault. Also, this one being late won't delay the next chapter so keep your eyes peeled!_


	14. The Dragon God Slayer and the Twin Blade

_A/N: On the rampage indeed! Nothing to say here other then to say thanks for the reviews and to all the people reading this. But I won't hold you up any longer, read on!_

**The Dragon God Slayer and the Twin Blades**

The swords she was holding were glowing with beauty, even in the dull light of the underground room. They were about as long as a standard katana, with their blades similar with exception that the blade was less curved and the tip had a steeper angle to it. The blades were a brilliant white, and the handles a contrasting black, as was the guard; which themselves were styled like vines and gave the appearance that Mayo's hands were covered in them. The two blades were identical with the exception of a small engraving of the letter 'E' at the top of the handle. They were in stark contrast to the less elegant Ryuujin Toorima that Marshall had.

He had rested the tip back onto the floor and was staring Mayo with his red eyes, unreadable to the girl. Mayo herself was staring into those eyes but she was also making a strategy to begin the fight. She knew that she could not block any blow from Marshall and the small room made it difficult for her to fight with her style. _Duck under his first blow, roll under legs, left blade into left leg, twist around, right blade into right leg, slice through tendons, both blades stab into back as he falls. _

Marshall took a step forward but as Mayo started to duck and implement her plan a loud crack sounded and froze both of them in their tracks. Then in unison they both looked up and saw a large split appearing in the wood above Marshall's head. Something flew through the air, hitting the floor, and a square section above Marshall slid down an inch before grating to stop. The pirate captain knew what was about to happen but as he dived forwards to dodge it the square shot down and crushed him to the floor.

Mayo jumped backwards and up onto her bed as it came down and watched with surprise as Marshall was taken down. By the time the dust cleared, she couldn't see him at all; only the top half of the blade any indication there was someone there at all. That's when she realised that there was water on the floor, making puddles from the rain that was coming down the hole Lin had made earlier when Marshall threw him from the room.

There was a small pattering of rocks as they fell from the hole and then Lin appeared, landing gracefully in front of the bed and brushing of dust that was resting on his shoulders. He turned around and smiled at Mayo. "Hey there, ready to get out of here?"

"How did you do that?" Mayo asked, slipping her swords back into their scabbards.

"Do what?"

"Something cut that block of earth, that's not natural."

"Just a well placed kick is all; you should have seen what Zeff was capable of. But enough about that, if you would kindly step of the bed, we'll be on our way."

Mayo started to ask another question but the look Lin shot her told her to drop the subject. She jumped down off the bed and Lin moved in raking a hold around her waist and pulling her close. "Lin?"

"Well, since the normal route is blocked I'm going to jump out and unless you wants lots of cuts and bruises then this is the only way to do it."

"Oh right, let me just grab my jacket." She pulled away and retrieved her white leather jacket from a peg on the wall, slipping it over her arms and shrugging it on. Then she moved back to Lin who took a hold of her again.

He bent his legs slightly and using his powerful muscles he jumped into the air, as they passed through the mysteriously well sized tunnel, he kicked the wall a number of times to keep them heading upwards. They appeared above the ground, in the pouring rain, and he landed in a puddle, splashing them with water.

Mayo pulled away and shook her body, water cascading off her as she did so. "Thanks for that Lin."

"No problem, anyway, we'll go and find Nemo…"

"Nemo?"

"My first mate, we'll go and find him and then we'll get off this island." He said and started walking off in the direction Nemo should be in. However after a couple of seconds he stopped and turned around, when he realised that Mayo had not moved.

"We?" she asked.

"Yeah, as in you, me and Nemo."

"But I'm not part of your crew."

"Yeah, but with Marshall down, you have no reason to stay here. And I need a cook for my crew, eating raw meat is not pretty."

"You've been eating _raw _meat! And how do you know I'm a cook anyway."

"That was a joke." He said with a laugh. "and it's quite easy to figure out you're a cook when you say that you are skilled with the blade but not in a bushido way; that pretty much guarantee's you're a cook."

"Why would you think I would want to be a pirate."

"C'mon, you were a pirate for a while when you were travelling right. Look me in the eye and tell me that it wasn't fun."

She looked down at her feet and shuffled before looking up. "Alright so it was fun…"

"See, I know you want to do it anyway! But for now, we'll wait until you meet Nemo, then we'll see how you feel." With that he started walking again and this time Mayo followed him, jogging slightly to catch up.

"Oh wait, before we go…" Mayo said and they both stopped, Lin turning to face her. "I forgot to mention, since we were interrupted by Marshall, that he isn't the real Captain."

"What!" Lin exclaimed.

"He's just a cover, a man named Kumar is the real captain."

"What!" Lin exclaimed again, this time much louder.

"No, not Bartholomew Kuma, K-U-M-A-R. Although he is not to be underestimated because of it."

"You had me scared for a second then." Lin said, putting his hand on his heart. "Right, new plan! We'll meet up with Nemo then go find this Kumar guy and kick his arse, because if he's the real captain then he's the one who ordered Marshall to come after us and what I told you earlier still stands." He started marching off again and Mayo followed him.

Because he was walking full speed and wasn't trying to hide his direction from anyone, it was only 10 minutes before they reached the large opening where Nemo was. Although it wasn't only him, there were hundreds of unconscious Roaring Bear Pirates scattered around, some on their own and some in comedic piles.

Nemo was finishing off one of the last ones and was currently throwing him onto a pile when he suddenly turned around and looked in their direction as if one of them had shouted his name. He dropped the guy he was dealing with and walked across to them, fastening his pipe as he did so.

"Who's she." He said as soon as he was in earshot, which was pretty close thanks to the rain.

"Mayo, this is Nemo, my first mate; Nemo, this is Mayo, a local rebel." Lin made the introductions "I've taken care of Marshall but there is some bad news, Mayo." He indicated for Mayo to explain about Kumar.

"Marshall is just cover for the real Captain, a man that goes by the name Kumar." She waited for a reaction from Nemo but there was none so she continued. "He likes to stick to the shadows and as such he picks the strongest person in his crew and they act as Captain as he issues orders from behind."

Nemo seemed to consider something suddenly. "What does this man look like." He asked.

"He's slightly shorter then Lin but about twice as wide, he looks fat but is in fact rather muscled. He's completely void of any hair on his body, except for a small right eyebrow. His clothes vary all the time but he will always be wearing a long animal fur coat around his shoulders."

"I thought so; I've taken a guy like that down already so everything is fine."

"What!" Mayo said with disbelief in her eyes. "Not that I think you are weak, considering what I can see, but you couldn't take down Kumar, no one can. I've never even seen someone put a scratch on him, and it doesn't help he has a bounty of 110 million!"

_110 Million, eh? That's pretty impressive. _Lin thought as he looked up into the sky, the rain splashing against his face.

"Well, it was definitely him, he matches your description."

"Show me!" she demanded and both Nemo and Lin were surprised by her forcefulness. Nemo shrugged and turned around, heading in the direction of one of the biggest piles of men. Mayo followed suit, and fell into line behind him.

They reached the pile in less then a minute and Nemo moved forward and thrust his arm into the pile, taking a hold of one of the bodies. He pulled it clear and held it up to show Mayo, who gasped in surprise. It really was Kumar, by the looks of things. But then she seemed to reconsider and moved in, touching the skin on his cheek.

After a couple of seconds she stepped back and looked across at Nemo. "I take it he isn't dead?"

"I don't kill." Nemo stated simply.

"Then this man is not Kumar."

"How so?"

"You'll have to believe me, it is hard to explain."

"Mayo, Nemo!" Lin's voice rang out and the two of them both turned to see Lin pointing up at the sky. "You see that?"

They followed his line of sight but they couldn't see anything. Mayo was about to respond when something fell out of the sky and crashed into the ground, throwing water and mud all over the place. Someone stepped out from behind it and moved in Mayo and Nemo's direction, resting a large sword on his shoulder.

A second sword appeared and went flying in Lin's direction although he easily sidestepped it and it embedded itself into the ground. _The Atlas Blade? _Lin questioned as he recognised the sword, he looked across and noticed the other man. "Marshall? I thought I'd taken care of you!"

Marshall just laughed and didn't even look in his direction, keeping his eyes locked onto Nemo and Mayo. "So you thought, and I would say this time will be different but I will not be the one fighting you this time."

As he spoke a second man stepped out form behind the rock and Lin knew that this one was the real deal. He was altogether more threatening then his doppelganger and his clothes more authentic, the animal fur hanging from his shoulders soaked by the rain.

"I take it you are the terrible Kumar then." Lin said

"Ah, 'Devil Leg' Lin. I was wondering when we would cross paths. I heard about you're little excursion and knew that you would bump into me eventually."

"'Devil Leg'?"

"Oh, don't you know. It seems that a marine called Klaken made quite the racket in an attempt to get your bounty raised and they gave you a new nickname to go along with it."

"I've got a new bounty?"

"Indeed, as does your first mate 'Nightmare' Nemo."

Lin pondered for a second and then looked across at Nemo. "You here that? You've got a higher bounty now as well as a much cooler nickname then 'The Dreamer'."

"That is nothing to be proud of, especially at this particular point in time."

Lin ignored him as he continued to look at Nemo "You cool with taking on Marshall, he's strong but Mayo can give you a hand if you need it."

Nemo nodded and withdrew his pipe from his holder just as Marshall dashed forward. Nemo reacted fast enough but Mayo wasn't as quick as Marshall descended upon her.

"That leaves me for you then." Lin said, finally looking back at Kumar who was slowly removing his coat before throwing it to the floor.

"You have quite the confidence there."

"Hasn't failed me yet." Lin said and slipped his hands into his pockets.

_A/N: Woo to fights, keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way next week!_


	15. Marshall T Kubin's Nightmare

_A/N: Hello all! Yeah, I had a break last week…no particular reason. But yes, I will not postpone you anymore, read on!_

**Marshall T Kubin's Nightmare**

"Lin, I'll let you take care of Kumar there, I'll deal with this guy." Nemo said, his eyes never leaving the strange redness of the pirate opposite him.

"Are you sure?" Lin asked "He's pretty damn strong."

"So am I…" Nemo said and then started to crab sideways, his feet sliding across the dirt, starting to circle around Marshall.

Marshall had glanced at Lin momentarily but now his eyes were locked onto Nemo's moving ones. His right hand gripped Ryuujin Toorima and his left hand, spiderlike in its appearance, was wrapped around the side of Mayo's head, slamming it into the ground and pinning her there with it.

"What are you going to do? Do you remember what happened the last time we clashed?"

Nemo didn't answer but instead summoned his first weapon, his pipe taking on the form of a long barbed whip. He flashed his hand forward and it unfurled quickly, its tip heading straight towards Marshall's heart.

However, the distance between the two made it simple for Marshall to prepare his counter attack. A second before it was about to hit, he lifted Mayo off the floor and held her in front of him as his face showed triumph, which was instantly replaced by terror when he realised that Nemo was not about to stop his attack.

Mayo had never felt anything like the pain that was currently ripping through her body. The barbs of the weapon tore at her skin, her muscles, her innards, and every fibre of her being. It tore through her easily and made its way into Marshall.

Marshall was quick to react despite the terror he had felt, he had pulled his own body one way and moved Mayo's body the other so that the barb, striking true against Mayo, but striking him in his side, piercing him just below the lung but not doing any major damage to him.

He cried out in pain and gripped the barb with his free hand, leaving Mayo to dangle loosely, and roared in anger as he pulled it free and jumped backwards, away from Nemo and the limp body of Mayo.

Nemo pulled back and Mayo collapsed to the floor unmoving. Nemo moved forward and as he did so he whipped his hand forward and his weapon shot across the ground again.

It clanged against the flat of Marshall's blade and the dropped to the ground before reeling back in towards Nemo. The arc of his swing made it so that he was temporarily blind to Nemo's movements and when it was clear Nemo was in front of Marshall with his fist raised.

He crashed it into Marshall's stomach and caused him to slide backwards but he was still able to remain on his feet. Only to see Nemo wielding a spear as he jumped backwards and launched it like a javelin.

Once again Marshall blocked the attack with the flat of his sword, knocking the weapon to the ground where it clattered to the floor and left Nemo weapons less. However this was not a disadvantage to the tired pirate as he jumped forward again and slammed his fist into Marshall's face.

The force moved him backwards and he had to stop himself by stabbing the ground with the tip of his sword. Nemo rolled to the side and picked up his spear, holding it out with the tip pointing towards Marshall threateningly.

However, before they could start up their fight again they were interrupted by a primal scream of terror and pain, something neither of them had ever heard. Nemo knew instinctively what it had to be and kept his eyes on Marshall but the latter couldn't resist and glanced across to see Mayo sitting up straight with her hands up to her face.

"Well, that is interesting…" Marshall said as he turned back to Nemo. "It seems information on your power has been revealed at last." Then in sudden inspiration he looked down to his side, which he realised didn't hurt anymore, and noticed there was no blood. "It is all in our minds…" he muttered and then looked up with a smile.

Charging forward, Marshall swung at Nemo with newfound ferocity but the attack was slow enough that Nemo could dodge it with little effort. He twisted around the blade and flipped his pipe into a reverse grip, the shadows disappearing, and slammed it into the side of Marshall's face causing him to step backwards.

"That wasn't in your head now was it?"

Marshall roared and swung downwards; Nemo raised his sword to block but had second thoughts and deflected the blade before kicking Marshall in the stomach and throwing him backwards into the dirt.

As Marshall stood up, rubbing his chin where the pipe had hit, he glanced down and realised that he had landed next to where Rekishichizu had embedded itself in the ground. He smiled and dug Ryuujin Toorima into the ground next to it before clasping the handle of the other, pulling it free.

"Ryuujin Toorima was a perfect match for you; its weight means I cannot swing it very fast. However, I get the impression that if the speed is increased then you will not be able to dodge so easily."

Nemo narrowed his eyes but didn't react as Marshall's arm blurred and a small nick appeared in his shoulder, splattering a small amount of blood onto the floor. Nemo didn't realise anything had happened until the second attack, which took a chunk out of his leg.

He looked down in confusion and saw a shallow cut in his leg, the blood seeping out and staining the blue of his trousers. He recovered fast enough to dive away from the next attack and a gash appeared in the ground where he had been standing before.

_With this speed I will not be able to get in close to him to attack, how could his technique have changed so much just be changing swords! _Nemo thought as he dodged another flying attack.

With a thought, Nemo morphed his pipe once more and it became a large circular shield, which blocked the next attack, although it left a large gash in the smoke. _I'm going to need help. _He thought as he formulated a plan to face this new technique.

He came up with it quickly and just in time as his shield exploded under the next attack, as it did so Nemo morphed it into smoke and it covered the entire area, blocking Marshall's view.

Nemo moved away from his opponent, the smoke moving clear of his way and making a route towards Nemo's target. Mayo was sat with her head in her hands and Nemo guessed she was still in shock because of her apparent death.

"Are you still functioning?" he asked

There was no reply and Nemo thought he was going to have to come up with a new plan when her hands dropped to her lap and she looked up into his eyes. "You killed me…"

"You only think I did, but that isn't important right now, you can fight right?"

"Yes, and I will. Marshall will see that taking over this country, even under the orders of Kumar, was the biggest mistake he has ever made."

Once again Nemo was surprised by Mayo's determination and personality in the face of danger. "Right then…"

Nemo stood up and gave Mayo a hand to her feet; she reached down and placed her hand on the handles of her blades before pulling them out. The distinct sound of metal on metal, the drawing of a sword, echoed around the area and Mayo spun them in her hands before gripping them tightly, the white blades shining in the moonlight that reached them.

"Ooo, you awake now little Mayo girl, you going to fight me?" Leered Marshall, his voice echoing out of the smoke.

Nemo raised his hand and the smoke suddenly twisted violently in a cyclone and then rushed across the ground and into Nemo's hand where it reformed itself into a large hammer, which Nemo rested on his shoulder.

The two looked across at Marshall, who was facing the wrong way, and Mayo didn't waste any time starting her fight. She raced forwards across the ground, her feet slapping against the floor, dragging her swords behind her in preparation.

Marshall heard the footsteps and spun around to face the oncoming target. However just as she came within range of Rekishichizu, she ducked down and moved into a slide. She grinded across the floor and as she passed by Marshall her blades flashed out in an attempt to cut his ankles.

Because of Marshall's height, his feet were a weakness of sorts, being just out of his reach of attack so as mayo passed by him he couldn't quite reach her and his blade dug into the ground above her head. He spun again to face Mayo as she got to her feet but heard more footsteps behind him and turned back to see Nemo swinging up with his hammer.

The flat of Rekishichizu blocked the attack but Nemo's strength still bought him to the balls of his feet. Mayo took advantage of his weak footing and darted in, knocking the back of his knee's out with the hilt of her swords and like a large tree, he started to fall backwards.

As he fell, Nemo jumped into the air and his hammer transformed into a small knife, which he aimed at Marshall's chest. Marshall's free hand snaked up and gripped the knife and Nemo's hand , stopping it in its tracks.

Then the two of them were in a stalemate as Marshall hit the ground, his hair cushioning the blow somewhat. Nemo was too close for Marshall to use his sword but Nemo's weapon was stuck by Marshall's vice like grip.

However, Mayo was still free and she moved forwards, driving her blades into Marshall's shoulders. He roared in pain and then twisted violently, ripping the blades free and throwing Nemo free of his body. He rolled once and then bounced to his feet, his arm flashing in a blur.

The ground exploded either side of Nemo and Mayo and Marshall grunted in annoyance. "Ahh, Mayo your damn blades have thrown my aim of somewhat, hold still now."

Mayo jumped to her feet again and darted forward, only to see Marshall bearing down on her with his sword. She dodged to the side as Nemo took her place, blocking the blade with a bo staff; one end lodged in the ground, the other blocking the blade. Nemo then jumped up and planted a fist into Marshall's cheek knocking him backwards.

As he did so, Mayo came up from behind him and drove her blades into his back with ferocity unlike her. Nemo kicked him in the chest and he began to fall again, Mayo using his own weight to drive the blades deeper. Eventually, the blades popped out of his chest and sprayed blood into the air.

Marshall cried out and reached above his head, grabbing Mayo and throwing her clear so that he dropped and knocked the blades deeper into him. Again, he roared in pain and rolled over onto his side, pulling himself to his feet.

He lodged his own sword into the ground and then reached to his back with his long arms and gripped the handles of Mayo's twin swords. With another cry he ripped them free and threw them away from him to the floor.

As he stepped forward to continue attacking, Nemo ducked in and crashed his hammer into Marshall's jaw, in exactly the right place to shake his brain. Nemo jumped back and rose his hammer in waiting.

Marshall teetered momentarily and then stepped forward, causing Nemo to think he needed a second shot, however as he moved in to attack, Marshall's eyes rolled into the back of his eyes and he fell backwards to the floor; his blood making a pool on the dirt beneath his body.

"That's the end of him, I wonder how Lin is doing."

"He's probably stronger then the two of us combined, I don't think we need to worry about him."

However as he spoke, Lin came flying through the air and crashed into the ground where it was revealed he was sporting numerous cuts and bruises and a broken arm.

"Lin?" Nemo left the rest of the question unasked.

"Leave now, I might need to do something that could injure you guys as well."

_A/N: Oo, oo, oo, I wonder what Lin has in store for the seemingly uber strong Kumar? Keep your eyes and ears open for the next chapter coming your way! Also, I can't remember if I said this already but credit goes to Ellen24 for Mayo! Thanks for that!_


	16. The Invincible Kumar Vs Devil Leg Lin

_A/N:_

**The Invincible Kumar Vs Devil Leg Lin**

It was dark and the rain was heavy, all Lin could see was the man before him, the one with the 110 million beri bounty. Kumar's aura seemed to stab at him, telling him to back away, telling him not to fight him, but Lin was intent on it.

Kumar was rolling up the sleeves of the shirt he was wearing but was struggling to do so thanks to the size of his arms, which were as big as tree trunks. Eventually he succeeded and flexed his muscles, nearly tearing the fabric in half along his back.

"Well then, I need you for the ceremony tomorrow so unfortunately I'm going to have to just break your arms and legs instead of killing you. You will be in a lot of pain and for that I apologise in advance."

"I know the ceremony is a fake, Kumar. What do you really want from me and my friend?"

"It seems like dear Mayo has been talking to you. To tell you the truth there isn't really a reason why we set up this ceremony and claimed all the things we did, apart from it was a way to control the populace here. But I do so like killing people, and the stronger they are the better it is for me!"

With that he started to charge forward, his hands raised high above his head like an angry Gorilla. Lin was still unsure as to what he could do but he wasn't about to underestimate him if his bounty was so high and he had already been to the grand line. So he decided to see what he could find out about him for the first instances of the fight.

Kumar moved in swinging and Lin sidestepped to avoid the first blow, which crashed into the ground and let loose a waterfall of water and mud into the air. It covered Lin from head to toe and for a second he couldn't see anything which Kumar took advantage off, slamming his fist into Lin's stomach.

Lin cried out in pain as he felt like his spine had been punched out of his back by Kumar. He fell to his knee and received a kick to the chest that felt like he had been hit by a train, not by a man. He slid backwards and the mud and came to a stop on one knee, breathing heavily.

"Holy crap dude, you throw a punch like a train." Lin said, bringing himself back to his feet and looking across at Kumar who was flexing his fingers. "Mental note, let's not be hit by that again."

This time Lin decided to take the initiative and raced forwards, his hands still planted firmly in his pockets. Kumar swung to intercept him but he was too quick as he jumped into the air and placed a foot on the top of his hand, resting there for a second before his other foot shot out and snapped into Kumar's face. Then, even before Kumar could react, Lin jumped over his head and planted another kick to the top of his spine with bone shattering force.

However when Lin looked up to see what damage he had done he discovered that it was none at all, Kumar was turning around with a smile on his face. Lin thought back to his attacks and decided that there was no way Kumar could have blocked them with no damage whatsoever but just to be sure he started his attack again.

This time as Kumar swung in for the attack, Lin dropped down low and slid in the mud and kicked up at Kumar's stomach in an attempt to float him into the air. Kumar was quicker to react this time and managed to grip Lin's foot in his hand and stop his attack dead, something not many people had been able to do barehanded before. Then, before Lin could free himself, Kumar reared backwards and threw him into the air with extreme force.

The drag and wind resistance was so strong that it took Lin a couple of seconds before he realised it was no longer raining and that was because he was above the clouds. "What the hell!" he cried, but his voice was lost in the wind.

Eventually he reached the peak of climb and he started to descend, which was a big problem because he surmised he would not be able to survive such an impact with the ground. "Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap…" he repeated over and over as he fell faster and faster. Eventually he shut up as he passed through the cloud layer and the rain filled his mouth and nearly made him drown.

As he thought about how he would survive, Kumar appeared next to him and grabbed him around the waist from behind with an iron grip. Then he rotated him in the air so that both their heads were pointing towards the floor and with a violent twisting motion set them into a spin. Lin got dizzy within seconds but still managed to shuffle between Kumar's arms enough that when they hit the ground the majority of the impact was absorbed by his opponent's head.

They were stuck in the mud upside down and they stayed like that for a second as Lin tried to wiggle free, eventually resorting to kicking the mud to get out. He stood up, spluttering and spitting mud out of his mouth, and did a quick run down of any injuries but he found none. He looked across at Kumar, who must be dead, but was gobsmacked when the pirate captain stood up and shook his head as if nothing had happened.

"You are not ordinary…" Lin said and then something dawned on him. "…which must mean you have a devil fruit! Right?"

Kumar laughed and then pulled himself out of the hole so that the two were on the same level again. "Indeed, you are correct. I am cursed like the most powerful pirates in existence. I ate the Power Power fruit; it has given me the ability of incalculable strength and the ability to withstand any damage to my body. In fact, to prove it to you, I shall let you have a free shot at me with all the strength you possess."

Lin was dubious, but from what he had seen so far and the fact he wasn't about to give up a free shot. He bounced from foot to foot, as if he was pent up with energy, and loosened the muscles in his legs. If he was going to get a free shot then he was going to give it all he had, and nothing would be able to stop his attack; fruit or no fruit.

He exploded forward, literally, as the wet ground beneath his feet splashed into the air as if a cannon ball had hit it and he moved so fast across the ground that he was close to becoming a blur. However, Kumar stood true to his word and didn't move, his small beady eyes seemingly following Lin as he ran. Once again, the mud exploded as Lin stopped, splattering Kumar from head to toe.

Lin was crouched down below Kumar, his legs bent and all his energy coiling up like a spring and he was ready to strike. His lower leg, the one closet to the ground, sprang up violently as his upper leg extended and locked like an iron bar. It took milliseconds for his foot to connect with Kumar's chin, transferring all of his monstrous strength into a hit that would knock a building into space.

But Kumar didn't even wobble, he was as still as a statue, even his breathing seemed to have stopped to absorb the impact of Lin's attack. They were frozen in place for a couple of seconds, Lin with legs extended making a perfect line from leg to leg, and Kumar with his arms held out and his chin seemingly resting on Lin's foot.

A small laugh croaked out of Kumar's and the spell broke, Lin jumped away with a flip and landing on one knee with his eyes wide. "What…the…hell…" he said, his breathing suddenly heavier then normal. "That's ridiculous…"

"It is everything I said it was, was it not?" Kumar retorted, lowing his arms and looking at Lin with something in his eyes.

"I suppose so." Lin said slowly, raising himself to his feet and brushing off his legs. "I'm surprised that you told the truth, not many people do in concern with devil fruits." Then without waiting for a reply he dashed forward only to be caught in mid run by the large hands of Kumar wrapping around his arms.

"One should wait until the conversation is over before restarting the fight." He said before smiling and his right hand squeezed slightly, the sound of cracking bone audible even over the rain; as was Lin's cry of pain.

"Aaahh!" Lin cried as he felt his arm break in several places. Lin was sure Kumar planned to break his other arm as well so reacted quickly and efficiently, despite the pain from his already broken arm. His foot kicked out and kicked mud into the air, where it splashed into Kumar's eyes and despite his powers it obviously stung as he reared back in anger and released Lin to wipe his eyes clean.

Lin landed and bounced away again but Kumar stomped forward with anger in his bloodshot eyes. Lin managed to dodge the first swing but the second caught him in the shoulder and span him around before Kumar caught a hold of his chest with his big hand. With a roar of anger he lifted him up and flung him like a toy through the air with nothing Lin could do about it.

He slammed into the ground in an explosion of mud and water and when it cleared he was stood in a small crater with Nemo on one side and Mayo on the other.

"Lin?" Nemo questioned, looking down at his captain who was covered in cuts and bruises and sporting a broken arm.

"Leave now, I might need to do something that could injure you guys as well." He said, his eyes watching Kumar who was slowly approaching. For a reason only known to him, Nemo decided not to ask any questions, instead gesturing to Mayo and running off back into the town; back in the direction of the dock.

"I'm intrigued 'Devil Leg' what is this move that could injure more then one person."

"That was a lie; it's really something I just don't want them to see. Nemo's quite sharp in these kinds of things and I'm not ready to tell them yet." With that Lin dropped into a crouch again, except this time a strange aura seemed to surround him and something told Kumar that the next attack would be with Lin's real strength.

A strange cracking sound, like ice under pressure, snapped through the air as a strange look overcame Lin, his face went blank with nothing behind the unblinking eyes; then he disappeared.

Much to Kumar's surprise he appeared above him with one leg high above his head. "Epico Bala de Canon." He whispered and his foot connected with Kumar's chest.

Thanks to Kumar's confidence in his devil fruit ability, he made no attempt to dodge the attack, sure that it would crumble against his defence. Lin's foot made a solid impact and crushed into his chest, where it broke ribs and pushed Kumar backwards on the ground, his feet sliding across the mud. He still stood though and Lin was about to follow up with a second attack when he realised that Kumar's eyes had rolled into the back of his head.

His large body stood firm like an oak tree but Lin knew that his mind was somewhere else, his body was frozen and the whites of his eyes were showing. Lin cautiously moved forward, an inch at a time, until he was stood directly in front of him, looking down at his bald head. He slowly moved his hand out and jabbed at his shoulder, but there was no reaction, like Kumar had gone out for the day.

Lin jabbed him again but this time a little harder, there was still no reaction from Kumar himself, but his body leant backwards and after a couple of seconds where it seemed to balance himself but then teetered over the edge and fell backwards, splashing down in the mud. Lin moved forward again and looked down at his opponent, realising that not only was he unconscious but he also wasn't breathing.

Quick as a flash, Lin ducked down and rested his ear against Kumar's chest, checking for a heart beat; there wasn't one. "Maybe I used a little bit too much power in that attack…" Lin pondered as he stood up again, looking up into the sky so that the rain soaked his face and rinsed the mud off.

He looked down at the dead pirate captain and shook his head. "That's what happens when you over estimate your devil fruit ability, it can be the death of you." He said before turning around and walking off in the direction of Nemo and Mayo.

However before he had even taken 5 steps there was a mighty roar and Kumar sprang to his feet, charging forward with pure rage in his face. Lin spun around and his foot kicked out, aiming for the throat side of his shoes.

_A/N: _


	17. And That's the End of That

_A/N: Nothing much to say here apart from thanking you for your reviews. Oh and your thoughts have been taken into account, stevethemime! Also, I remembered to write this, this time! Woohoo, anyway, read on._

**And That's the End of That**

Lin's foot flew straight and true and hit exactly where he was aiming for, the larynx. Kumar had been too enraged to activate his devil fruit so it was a full impact, devastating blow. Kumar shuffled back clutching his throat and spluttering in an attempt to speak. His face as getting redder and redder as he couldn't draw oxygen into his body, as he slowly suffocated with Lin watching him from where he was stood.

"Kumar, I am impressed with your 110 million bounty but by the way you acted today you are not worthy to hold one so large. Clearly you like to kill civilians, if your ceremony is anything to go by, thus your danger to society and your high bounty." Lin bent down so that he was at eye level to the kneeling Kumar. "And you know what; pirates have really gone down hill if you can call yourself one."

Kumar attempted a snarl, although he was impeded by his injury and lunged forward in an attempt to crush the life out of Lin but Lin was ready for the attack and side stepped neatly, letting Kumar fall forward into the mud where he struggled quickly to turn himself face up.

It was then that blood started to bubble out of his mouth and Lin knew that his time had come, he had suffered through the pain of a ruptured larynx and was now about to die. Lin bent down next to his body and rested a hand on his eyes, as if to close the eyes of a man already dead. Kumar weakly resisted but eventually his hand dropped to his side and he was dead.

For a second Lin looked genuinely sad that someone had died but the look disappeared instantly as he stood up and swept some of the mud of his legs with his hands. Then he wiped his hands together and turned to walk off again, only to come face to face with a number of the Roaring Bear pirates, walking out from between the buildings.

"Your Captain is down, your fist mate is down, I suggest you leave this island and do something else with your lives. If you stay as pirate's, that is fine, but don't expect mercy from me should we meet for a second time."

There was some vigorous nodding and Lin shooed them away with a hand, letting them disperse into the buildings before following after them, planning to meet up with Nemo and Mayo who had walked away earlier on his command. He slipped his broken arm into his shirt for support as he walked, planning on dealing with it when he was back at the ship.

He walked quickly, taking long strides to catch up with his friends, and soon he reached the edge of town at the start of the path that would lead him to the first town they had come across on the island and started walking, Nemo and Mayo wouldn't be too far ahead of him.

x+x+x+x+x

Back at the centre of the town, where the bodies of Kumar and Marshall lay in the mud with the rain splashing down to them a figure stepped out from behind one of the buildings. His body was muscled and lithe, showing natural athleticism and energy. His figure was shrouded in the darkness of the night but a long shadow on his hip gave away his weapon of choice; a long katana called a 'daisho'.

He splashed forward in the mud, heading for Kumar's body, and stopped inches from him looking down at him. He stared for a couple of minutes and then reached into his jacket, pulling out a sheaf of paper and holding it out in front of him. Under a flash of lightning it revealed itself to be the bounty poster for Kumar.

"Kidett 'Invincible' Kumar…" the man said, staring at the picture on the poster that showed Kumar holding a marine by the throat. "…it seems even your bounty of 110 million was not enough to save your life." He slowly crushed the paper in his hand as he ground his teeth together. "But those pirates will pay." He dropped the poster into a muddy puddle and glanced across at the bloody Marshall.

After squelching across to the first mate he stood above him and looked down at him like he had done with Kumar. "This is strange, the apparent first mate of the Roaring Bear Pirates and yet I have never heard of him and he has no bounty." He crouched down to get a better look at his face. As he moved his hand slowly to touch his face Marshall's eyes sprang open and his arm flashed up and gripped the man around the throat.

"Fuck off!" Marshall said and threw the man backwards, where he landed in the mud with a large splash.

The man jumped back to his feet, quick to recover from the surprise, but as his hand moved to draw his sword he realised that Marshall had gone, disappearing from the large opening. The stranger looked around briefly but couldn't see anyone; however he slipped his sword out of its scabbard and walked back across to Kumar, piercing him through the heart before sheathing his sword again.

"Just in case." He said before walking off in the direction Lin had left before him.

x+x+x+x+x

Lin caught up with the other two about half way down the road, sneaking up on them and making them jump with a shout before receiving Nemo's pipe to his face. He was now walking along rubbing his jaw where the steel and struck perfectly on his bone.

"Lin, what is going to happen to all the people on the island now?" Mayo was asking, walking on Lin's left.

"Nothing to do with me, remember that I was only taking these guys down because they went after me and Nemo, not because I'm some sort of good guy."

"Shouldn't we at least tell them that Mr Kumar has been taken care of and they are free?"

Lin considered the thought for a moment "Probably better not to, I don't want to get caught in any kind of politics on the island."

"I suggest we get of the island as quick as possible, some of them might of liked Kumar, or rather Marshall, and are pissed that we took him out." Nemo interjected, walking on Lin's right.

"That's a very good point; I think I've had enough of being attack on this island."

"Ok, so where are we heading now?" Mayo asked.

"We're heading back to the town with the port, going into the main building in the square and finding a map somewhere so that I can find the exact location of Supaida Island and how long it'll take to get there."

Mayo noticed the inclusion of her in the 'we' Lin was talking about but for the moment she kept quite about it, she didn't want a confrontation at this point. As they walked she kept glancing at Lin's broken arm. "Are you sure your arm is alright?"

"Yes, it's just broken. I'll set it in the boat and then it'll be as good as new, mostly." Lin said, his trademark smile on his lips again. "I suppose I'll go and see a doctor on Supaida Island, I know there will definitely be one there."

With that the group dropped into silence as they walked. It was still dark, being very early in the morning, but the rain had subsided to a weak trickle; giving the team a chance to dry out slightly and warm up with some brisk walking.

In what seemed like forever for Mayo they reached the town they were aiming for, entering quickly and making their way to the square. Once they were there, Lin looked around and picked out the building he was looking for, the doors still smashed into pieces after Lin's first encounter with Marshall.

They crossed the square quickly and made their way around the splintered wood, jogging up the steps and into the foyer. A quick glance around showed Lin that no one had tried to fix anything, the rubble from the wall Marshall broke with his sword was still scattered around on the marble floor along with the wood that Lin had made by crashing through the office door.

He ignored the office for the moment, moving straight across the hall and to the deserted reception desk at the end, he figured that if maps would be anywhere that would be a good place to start. Lin scooted around the end of it and sat in the seat, rolling it forward so he was sitting at it like a receptionist.

It was then that something touched his leg and he jumped backwards and screamed in a high pitch voice, causing Mayo to jump and Nemo to look across at him with nothing in his face. Lin looked down and saw the female receptionist from earlier hiding in the leg crevice.

"Lin, are you alright?" Mayo called, starting to walk in his direction.

"Yeah, sorry about that, it's just the receptionist." He called and then looked down at the girl. "Where are the maps?" he asked and she raised a shaking hand to point at a large draw at the very end of the desk, near the floor. "Thank you." Lin said and moved across as the receptionist dashed out and escaped through some kind of back door into the building.

Lin pulled the drawer out and placed it on the desk, finding that it was filled with all kinds of different maps of different shapes and sizes. He shuffled through them until he came across one he recognised of the west blue and splayed it out on top of the desk so he could see the whole thing.

Quickly identifying Judicator Island, which was near the bottom left of the map, he scanned the surrounding islands until he spotted the unique shape of the island he was looking for and called for Nemo and Mayo to come over, which they did, looking over his shoulder at the map.

"Right, this is here…" he said, pointing at Judicator Island. "…and this is our destination." Now pointing at Supaida Island. "Now you know why it is called that."

It was obvious because the island itself was shaped like a spider, a central body with a small head and 8 branching limbs ending in a point. "Does no-one have an imagination anymore?" Mayo asked.

"Where's the fun in that." As Lin moved to lean away he suddenly leaned forward again and pointed at another island, slightly south of Supaida island but more eastern. "Anyone else knows what this island is?" he asked as a smile moved onto his face.

Both Nemo and Mayo shook their heads and Lin moved his finger to the name of the island. California Island. "I've never heard of it." Nemo said.

"Well, if I remember correctly it is the base of a lovely hotel/spar that caters only pirates." He said with a smile. "We could stop of their first, heal up and relax for a bit and then move across to Supaida when we are ready, yeah?"

"I don't mind." Nemo said, clearly not really interested in their destination.

Lin turned to Mayo who was hesitating on the answer but as she began to speak Lin interrupted her. "Speaking of which, have you made a decision about joining the crew?"

She made a notable pause before speaking "You have been very kind to me and a great help in defeating Marshall and Kumar…" she said slowly. "However, I don't think I can go into a life of crime as a pirate."

"It's not as bad as you think, in fact there isn't all that much pillaging or anything in my crew either; is there Nemo?"

"I'm not getting involved in this, but I don't mind if she joins."

"C'mon Mayo, we're friends now and coming with us would be best for you I think, and best for us; having a cook on board would be a total life saver."

She hesitated again before she spoke. "I suppose getting off this island would be good for me, since both Luke and Dacule died here…" she said a strange look coming into her eyes at the mention of the boys names. "So I'll accompany you for now and decided whether I actually want to join on a later island."

"Good enough!" Lin called and slapped the table. "Now then, we'll go to the ship, scoot along to California Island have a lovely couple of days there and then hop across to Supaida Island; sound good?"

"One problem with your plan, Lin." Nemo said, moving back into the conversation. "Our current ship only houses two beds for two people, and now we have a woman with us she will need her own space."

Lin nodded and thought quickly "Easy solution!" he said "We'll take the caravel at the dock, the Roaring Bear Pirate one, they won't need it now."

Nemo nodded in agreement, and so did Mayo despite the fact it involved stealing something. Lin rolled the map up and tucked it into his belt, knowing it could come in useful later, and skipped back around the desk heading for the door with Nemo and Mayo in tow, walking fast to keep up.

By the time they reached the dock area with the three ships, light had started to appear over the horizon. "Perfect timing, I always hate navigating in the dark." Lin said and moved across to the caravel ship that was docked next to the larger one and his own smaller one.

"Right then, since we've all been on a ship before there is no explaining to do. Nemo could you remove the roaring bear jolly roger and Mayo go and retrieve my own off the ship" the two nodded and soon Lin was looking up at his own jolly roger flying above the caravel at the top of its main mast. "Brilliant!"

They boarded and started things up, following the directions of Lin as he moved around doing jobs as well. "Onwards to California Island!" he cried and pointed south with his hand as he hung onto the side railing with the other.

_A/N: Looks like Marshall isn't down for the count! Keep eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way!_


	18. A Nightmare That Doesn't Occur Often

_A/N:_

**A Nightmare That Doesn't Occur Often**

The caravel was a much nicer ship then the small boat Lin had been using originally; it glided through the water better, it was a much smoother ride, the wind even seemed to taste better on it. Lin was currently sitting in, what he had claimed to be, his office. It was in the centre of the ship and had only one entrance and exit to it, making it seem perfect for office use; it was probably made that way was Lin's suspicions.

He was currently reading through a newspaper he had found in the desk, it was a couple of weeks old but it still held a lot of interesting information. The straw hats had become old news as a rising rookie pirate crew had started wreaking havoc in the east blue, the so called weakest of the four seas despite the fact many strong people had come from it; most notably Straw Hat Luffy.

Apparently the crew were calling themselves the 'Legion of the White Phoenix' which Lin thought was a rather long winded name for a pirate crew. According to the newspaper report they were completely ruthless, moving through islands and towns and destroying everything they came across and leaving no survivors. Well, it said no survivors but there was a comment at the bottom of the page that said as long as you did not oppose them you were fine, that was how the photographer had gotten pictures as well as the information without dying.

Below the story were the pictures of the crew in what seemed to be some sort of Hierarchy order; at the top was a man with flowing blonde hair, his face so flawless that he could have been easily mistaken for a woman. Below him was a row of seven men, all with varying appearances however what they all seemed to have in common was that they were clad in old fashioned armour, all with varying styles.

Lin noticed that they seemed to have no bounty for the time being, but he was sure that it would not be that way for long if they carried on as they were, especially when they came to clash with marines somewhere along the lines. As Lin continued to flick through the paper one handed, his other still broken and tucked into his shirt although it now had a splint on it, there was a small knock on the door.

"Come on in." Lin said, folding the newspaper away and tucking it into a drawer as Mayo walked in, closing the door behind her. "How can I help my lovely cook?" He said with a smile.

Mayo smiled back and moved to the chair that Lin had put in front of his desk, taking a seat in it and looking across at him. "Hey." She said.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Sorry, it's just that I have a question about what happened back on Judicial Island." Lin frowned for a moment before motioning that she could continue. "I was just wondering how it was possible for you to take down someone of Kumar's strength and power." She said but continued before Lin could reply. "I mean, I realise that you are strong and I did think you could beat him but you beat him so quickly and so easily. For the time that I have known him, many people have tried to take his head but none of them were successful, he was too powerful."

"Then you came along and in the space of about 10 minutes you completely decimated him, making him look like some rookie who was in too deep against a much stronger opponent. What did you do to him after you sent me and Mr Kale away?"

Lin didn't reply straight away, instead he rubbed his chin and then brushed his hand across the scars on the right side of his face. "I was lucky I think…" he started, speaking slowly as if he was carefully picking his words. "I decided that I would need to use one of my better moves, nothing fancy just a way of kicking that was stronger then the normal way I kick. I think I hit him at just the right time to get past his devil fruit. Did you know he had one?"

"I suspected as much but I never got around to proving it. Some sort of strength based one?"

"He called it the Power Power fruit, giving him super strength and apparent invulnerability. However, clearly it was not true, well the invulnerability bit anyway, he definitely had super strength."

"An invulnerability that even Marshall couldn't break, even when he used Ryuujin Toorima! Something is odd about that, you have to admit."

"Maybe I hit the one spot that wasn't invincible or something, maybe he didn't have his devil fruit activated when I attacked for some reason. I'm not entirely sure myself, all I can say is that I am glad I beat him."

Mayo moved to say something else but seemed too decided against it, standing up and moving to the door. As she opened it and started to walk out Lin called her name and she turned around to face him again.

"I am sorry, Mayo, but I have secrets about me that I am not ready to share with my crew yet…Someday I may tell you, or maybe you will discover it on your own." he said, against his better judgement. Mayo didn't say anything and disappeared out of the door, closing it gently behind her.

Lin sighed and leant back in his chair, and his eyes travelled to a safe that was in the corner of the room. "I'll find you…and I'll make you pay." He said to himself.

x+x+x+x+x

Nemo was currently sat at the helm, one of his hands resting on his lap and the other loosely keeping hold of the wheel. He had a compass laid on the floor in front of him and Lin had asked him to keep the ship heading in a southerly direction. Thanks to the wind at their back, there wasn't much that Nemo needed to do to keep it on track. In fact, there was so little to do that he was starting to doze off, something that didn't happen very often to him, hence the bags that were constantly under his eyes.

"_Aaarrrrggghhh!" the scream was monstrously loud, it echoed around the cave and shook the walls so hard that some of the stalactites actually shook loose and plunged into the water below it._

_Nemo was stood in the centre of the large cave area, on a small round island completely surrounded by deep water that seemed to be moving in his direction by an unseen force, lapping at his feet. He looked around but he couldn't see where the scream had come from, the cave seemed to be a complete dome with no way in or out and nowhere where anyone, or anything, could be hiding. He moved to step into the water but when his foot was an inch away from it he jolted back as if electrocuted and hopped back to the centre of the island as another voice filled the cave._

"_NO!"_

_It was said short and sharp, the staccato sound reverberating off the walls. It wasn't as loud as the previous scream but it held more dominance over Nemo and he suddenly understood that stepping into the water would be a bad thing to do. He wondered what he was meant to do, how he was going to escape from the cave or at least get off the small island; he could see a stretch of beach on the opposite shore._

_It was then that a small boat suddenly appeared in front of him, surfacing like a submarine, the water falling of it like a waterfall. It was a small wooden rowing boat and despite the fact that it had come from under the water, the inside was bone dry. Nemo glanced around again but guessed that this was the only way he could go so tentatively stepped into the boat._

_It started moving slowly across the water but when he was half way across the water the whole cavern shook again with the scream and the walls fell away to reveal nothing but black. Then a huge figure rose out of the water seamlessly, so that the boat was not rocked in any way, and roared into the sky, or what Nemo took to be the sky at the moment._

_A whirlwind of some sort spun around the figure and it took on the form of Marshall from Judicial Island, although it had a more demonic, evil look around him. It roared into the air again and reached behind its back, pulling out a massive sword that resembled a child's drawing of Ryuujin Toorima. The demonic Marshall swung down and the sword crashed into Nemo and the boat, sending them both careening into the depths of the water._

_Nemo felt like he was being zapped by lightning as a flaming sword appeared out of nowhere and slammed into his chest. It sent him spinning uncontrollably further down where he was crushed against a rocky outcrop of an underwater mountain. Nemo struggled against the force but couldn't pull away when it suddenly flipped him over and the flaming sword moved to stab him through the chest._

Nemo lunged forward and the flaming sword from his dreams was flung from his hand and stabbed into the wall opposite him. The flames started to move down the blade and onto the wood but they were suddenly extinguished at Nemo's command. He was breathing heavily and sweat poured from his body, it happened every time he fell asleep, every time he had a nightmare. It took a couple of minutes but eventually he calmed himself down and leant his head back onto the cool wood; regaining his composure.

_Haven't had a nightmare in a while…_ he thought as he pulled himself to his feet and stretched off, wiping sweat from his face with a small rag he pulled out of his jacket. He replaced the rag and moved to the edge of ship, resting his hands on the railing and looking out to sea. He glanced to his left and saw that their goal was in sight or at least an island in the direction that Lin had sent them in.

He walked across to the compass on the floor and glanced down at it to make sure that they were still heading in the right direction. They were, so Nemo made his way down the small set of stairs and headed to Lin's office, passing Mayo on the way, who ignored him completely and quickly entered down into the lower decks. Nemo shrugged to himself and moved to Lin's door knocking on it with his knuckles.

"Lin? That California Island is in sight." Nemo said, his voice loud and clear so that his captain would hear him through the wood of his door.

The door clicked open and Lin stepped out into the sun, holding a hand up to block its bright rays from blinding him. "We sure it's the right island this time?" he said with a grin, moving out into the open and across to the railing, looking out at the island Nemo was referring to.

"It better be, our last encounter with the wrong island was hardly pleasant." Nemo said.

"My, my, was that the hint of humour coming from my first mate?" Lin's grin grew wider as he rounded on Nemo, who simply ignored him and stalked off in the direction that Mayo had gone earlier, down into the lower decks and the crews quarters.

As the ship closed in on the island, Lin brought a small telescope out of his office and used it to get a better look at their destination. From what he could see it was the right island, despite small changes that seemed to have happened.

The whole island was mostly dominated by a massive building, bigger then most marine complex's, leaving only a small beach area by the docks and some cliffs on the far side of the island. The island seemed to be split in half, half of it was bright white with blue markings over it and the other half was a black with white markings over it.

Set out before the docks was a series of wooden posts, the left hand ones were marked with small Jolly Rogers and the right hand ones were marked with the sign of the marines. Lin was worried for a second about the marine symbol but as the ship drew closer to the 'pirate' side of the docks a figure appeared and waved them in.

Lin took control of the ship and soon enough they were carefully docked on the island, with an enthusiastic bellboy hanging around outside of it. Lin gracefully jumped down and walked up to him. "Is this California Island?" he asked

"That's right, sir! Welcome to California Island, home of Hotel California!" The boy replied with gusto. "Would you like your ship cleaned for the duration of your stay?"

Lin stood confused as Mayo and Nemo appeared behind him, using the more conventional means of a ladder to get to the ground. "What's with all the marine symbols on the other side of the island, last time I was here it was a pirate only kind of place."

The kid looked confused for a second before answering. "Mr California believed that servicing both sides of the coin would be more profitable. He has engaged a treaty on this island so that the marines will leave the pirates alone and vice versa. Would you like your ship cleaned for the duration of your stay."

"Go for it." Lin said before heading towards the large path that would lead them to the entrance of the building. Nemo followed straight away but Mayo hesitated a second before she too followed on. As they approached the entrance, Lin turned around and started walking backwards with his non-broken arm spread wide. "Welcome, my dear crew, to the luxury spar known as Hotel California!"

_A/N:_


	19. Hotel California's Revamp

_A/N: Hello there all of you readers! Totally sorry about the long wait between this chapter and the last one but I'm having to beat my way through a steel wall trying to write my newest chapter (I'm like ahead 6 chapters, and aim to publish the next in line as soon as I finish the newest one, so I'm always the same amount of chapters ahead!). Still, trying but I hope it'll come to me soon. Once that's done, you'll get a special two-chapter post in one go! Woo, so look forward to that. Anyhow, now I've talked to much so I leave you to read on!_

**Hotel California's Revamp**

Despite the size of the building itself, clearly they tried to use as much of it as possible for the actual spar because the reception was exceptionally small. It was no bigger then Lin's office back on his ship, with a long desk taking up the far side of the room. The desk had had money spent on it; all three of them could see that instantly. It was made from a flawless wood, a dark mahogany colour, and was shined so well that the light reflected off of it like a mirror. Sat behind the desk was a young woman who was equally shining; the glow from her skin was nearly literal.

She had a fixed smile on her face and as the group approached her, she stood up and bowed respectively. "Welcome to Hotel California, the greatest hotel/spa combo in all the world; even the ones in the grand line cannot compare to here." She said, her voice high and sweet, her words perfectly pronounced. "How is it that I can help?"

Lin nodded in satisfaction as he leant forward and rested his good arm on the counter, smiling at the woman in front of him. "Hello there, I haven't got a terribly large amount of money on me at the moment, what offers have you got on today?"

"That's quite alright, today is free for all groups of three or more, so you just manage to pass." She said with a smile. "Anything you do in the spa will be completely free of charge, and it will continue to be free for the duration that you stay here; although it only lasts for a maximum of 7 days in total."

"That's handy; let's see…" he paused as if calculating something before he spoke again. "We'll have three en-suite rooms, all inclusive, a 3 day spa replenishing package, a single day healing and a single day free package…" He paused again and started counting something again. "I think that's about all…Nemo? Mayo? Anything in particular you want to do?" he said, turning around to face his friends.

Nemo simply shook his head while Mayo moved closer and stood next to Lin. "What sort of packages have they got here?" she asked.

"Pretty much anything you can think of, although I'd stay away from anything too complicated, definitely wouldn't suite you." Lin replied with a smile.

"I'll stick with what you said then."

"A brilliant choice, did you get all of that by the way?" he directed the question at the woman, turning his head to face her.

"It seems to me like you have been here before, ordering such specific packages, have you?" she asked

"A long time ago, why do you ask?"

The woman's smile faltered for a second before she replied. "Sorry, it's just that Mr California likes to meet with returning customers. If you give me a minute I'll just call him."

Lin nodded as she reached down and picked up the speaker of a Den Den Mushi that was sat on the desk, she dialled in a number and waited a couple of seconds before speaking. "Mr California? I have a customer here who says he has visited the Spa before, would you like me to send him up?" she paused as Mr California spoke, his voice murmuring out of an earpiece she was wearing. "Yes…no…I wouldn't have thought so; would you like me to ask? Alright, I'll send him straight across then." She placed the receiver down and looked back up at Lin.

"If you go through that door…" she pointed to a simple wooden door on her right. "…follow the corridor all the way down until you reach a 'T' junction, take a right and then the 3rd office on your left is Mr California's, and he will be waiting for you."

"Alrighty then, on to Mr California." Lin said and led the way, his two friends close behind him.

"Oh sorry, just yourself, your friends can either wait here or get on with the packages." The lady interjected as they moved.

They stopped and Lin turned to face his friends. "You cool with that?" he asked

Nemo shrugged. "I'm not much of a spa guy anyway, so I'll go and wait in my room until you guys are finished." He said.

Mayo looked uncomfortable "I don't really want to be alone; I've never been here before…"

"Nothing to worry about Mayo, the service here is great and they're all so nice…"

"Sir, Mr California is waiting for you."

"Alright; seriously though, Mayo, don't worry about a thing, I'll meet up with you as soon as I'm finished with Mr California." With that he waved them off and disappeared through the door that the woman had indicated earlier.

It led directly to a long corridor with doors plastered on each side of it, it looked like it went on forever and ever, although Lin could see a door right at the end that must have been on the 'T' junction he needed. He started off on a brisk walk, casually glancing left and right every now and again to see if things had changed since his last visit. Unfortunately all of the windows on the doors were blacked out and Lin couldn't see anything happening behind them, nothing at all.

He got to the junction, spun to the right and carried on about 5 paces before he was in front of the third door on his left. Lin could immediately tell that it was the right door, it was identical to the rest of them and gold lettering on the window said 'Head of House, Mr R California.'. As he reached down to open the door, it opened on itself and swung inwards, revealing the office.

Lin shrugged to himself and entered the office boldly, feeling and hearing the door close behind him. The office was not exceptionally large, it was marginally smaller then the reception area Lin had just come from, but it was well adjourned. What seemed to be animal heads hung from plaques on the wall with various weapons behind them, and a lush carpet covered the floor, it was extremely soft underneath Lin's shoes.

On the far wall of the room there was a man sat at a desk, typing away on a type writer and seemingly reading a newspaper at the same time. For a couple of minutes he carried on and Lin stood there awkwardly like a naughty child in the headmaster's office. Eventually he got bored and coughed loudly to get Mr California's attention and the man nearly jumped out of his skin.

After calming himself down with a pat to the chest, he spun around on his chair and faced Lin where the pirate got a good look at him. He was tall and gangly, too tall for the chair he sat in, and had long spindly fingers. He had intelligent green eyes behind round spectacles that seemed to balance on the end of his nose with no support, and black hair which he had swept back on his head. He was wearing a dark brown suit, with a dark green shirt with a garish multi coloured tie round his neck. The strangest thing about him though was the fact he had two elbow joints.

"Well, well, you don't see many of your kind around these parts." Lin commented, indicated the double joints on Mr California's arm.

"Quite so, young sir, quite so." His voice reminded Lin of a professor. "Now, we have some matters to discuss do we not, you have frequented my humble hotel before have you?"

"I'm not as young as I look; last time I was here you didn't cater marines." Lin glanced around for a place to sit but found none so crossed his arm and leant back against the door.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for being that old; I began to service the Marines over 8 years ago."

"Just my youthful good looks. So, is that all you wanted to say?"

"Not at all, not at all. You see I don't usually see anyone while they stay here, I like to keep myself to myself; however, when Lucy rang and told me you said you had been here before I had to see you. I have photographic memory at an astounding level and I have never forgotten a face in my life, if you had been here before I would recognise you, which I don't. How would you explain that?"

Lin shrugged. "You must have missed me when I came in the last time."

"That is quite difficult to do, there is a reason I made the reception area so small; so I can see everyone who enters." He gestured to his right where Lin noticed two screens sat next to each other. One showing the reception area he had just left, with Lucy sat behind the desk, and another one much the same except it was painted blue and another woman was sat at the desk.

"Then I can't explain it…" Lin said, somewhat uncertainly.

Mr California looked at him down his nose, over his glasses, further cementing the teacher look, but decided against saying anything further about the matter. "Now then, I hope you and your friends enjoy your stay; we have had many upgrades in the last 8 years." With that he spun around his chair again and went back to typing and reading.

Lin took the hint that the conversation was over and exited through the door, closing it slowly behind him. He thought for a couple of seconds and then headed back the way he came, taking a left and walking down the corridor to the door that would lead him back to the reception area. However, when he reached the door he found it locked, he pulled and pushed but it wouldn't budge.

He frowned had headed back to Mr California's office but found that it was no longer there, the third door on the left was now exactly the same as all the others in the corridor. _How very strange… _He looked around for somewhere to go and noticed a sign on the wall with a list of departments, so he wandered over to it.

The list was long, there were about 30 different places he could go with varying directions, including specific lifts and specific number of steps on a staircase. He skimmed through it quickly and found at least one of the places he was looking for, the Medical Suite. He had ordered a one day healing and thought that would be the best place to start, the quicker he healed his broken arm, the better for him. He read the instructions twice, just to make sure he wouldn't forget them, and began what would end up being a rather long journey.

Eventually, after 45 minutes had passed, Lin came across a double doorway with the words 'Medical Suite' above it with large black letters. He pushed his way inside and nearly gasped in surprise.

The room was pure white, like most hospitals, and was polished so well the light form the ceiling reflected all over the place with blinding flashes. Down the sides of the room were strange beds that were 45o to the wall, and looked like canisters of some sort. 3 of the 10 beds that were available were taken up by other pirates each with a female nurse stood next to them and dealing with the various injuries they had. While Lin had been looking around another nurse and snuck up on him and was now standing in front of him with a clipboard in her hand.

"Hello there, you must be Lin right?" she said, her voice chirpy and happy.

"Yeah…wait, how did you know my name?" Lin asked, taken by surprise by her cheerfulness.

"Oh, that young Mayo gave it to the receptionist who relayed it to us and telling us that you would probably head here fist. Not many pirates come to the Medical suite, only those with proper injuries and the like, so I took a guess that you were Lin." She paused and smiled wider, her teeth nearly as white as the room. "And the fact that you have blue hair is a rather distinct feature."

Lin thought for a second and then let out a smile of his own. "That, young nurse, is a very good point." The nurse smiled wider still and indicated one of the beds to her right, one of the ones nearest the door.

"If you'd like to lie down, I'll get to work on your arm and you'll be healed up in no time."

"Do I get you all to myself?"

"Of course, each patient has a personal nurse for the duration of their stay in the medical suite."

"Goody good!" Lin said and then walked over to the bed, slipping into it and pulling his broken arm free from his shirt and resting it on a padded foam base that seemed to have been put there deliberately for this purpose, as if they knew what his injury was before hand. _I'll meet up with you as soon as I can Mayo; don't go having too much fun while I'm healing up. _He thought to himself as the nurse got to work on his arm.

_A/N: Nothing too exciting this time around, but you do meet the strange Rascal California! So keep your eyes peeled for next weeks (hopefully X2) chapter!_


	20. A Day of Resting and Healing

_A/N: Not two chapters this time, but a chapter nonetheless. I had my birthday this weekend (hence why this is out on Monday) so woot to me! Enjoy reading the chapter!_

**A Day of Resting and Healing**

Despite Nemo's disliking of Spars and the like, even he was impressed with the room he had been given for the duration of their stay. It was massive, more like a penthouse then a single room, considering it had different sections for different uses. There was a bedroom part off to his right, with a massive four poster bed sat in the centre, directly in front of him was a space with sofa's and chairs positioned around an antique looking table, further forward then that was a balcony with deck chairs set out on it. On his left was a library, an actual library in a room in a hotel. It was filled from floor to ceiling, around the entire area, with books on wooden shelving.

He walked casually over to it and picked up the nearest book to him 'A Guide to the Opposite Sex'. He raised an eyebrow at the title before replacing the book back on the shelf and moving around the room to see what kind of books they had. They were hundreds of them, ranging from the simplest picture books to books about how the world came to be. One book's title in particular caught his attention, high on the top shelf, so he pulled a ladder across and made his way up to it. Nemo pulled it out of the row and looked at the title 'Devil Fruits: A Complete Guide.' He took it with him as he descended the ladder and walked across to the large sofa in the centre of the room while still looking at the book.

As he lowered himself to the sofa he flicked the book open to the introduction and began reading something that actually interested him.

_Welcome to 'Devil Fruits: A complete Guide'. Now in case you haven't heard of a devil fruit I will introduce you to them and explain about what we know about them at this current time. Devil Fruits, or sometimes called The Cursed Fruits, are types of fruits that have an unusual affect on the human, or any, body on this earth. These effects range from changing the colour of your skin to blasting things into pieces with nothing but a blink. These are not myths, nor are they legends; they are real things that are in this world. Granted, you won't see many of them outside of the Grand Line (For information on the Grand Line and other major features of the planet please see my other book, 'The Grand Line and other geological wonders'.)_

_Right then, back to Devil Fruits. So Devil fruits are broadly divided into three main groups; each group giving similar, yet different, affects to the body. The first group is known as the 'Paramecia' group, the second group is called 'Zoan' and the final group is called 'Logia'. Now those words might seem alien to you at the moment, don't worry all will be explained below:_

_Paramecia – Paramecia Devil Fruits are the kind of fruits that can pretty much have any affect on the body as long as that affect does not fall into the other two categories. This could be anything from turning your limbs into powerful springs, or being able to grow plants with a mere thought. These types of fruit are the most common._

_Zoan – A Zoan Devil fruit is one that gives the eater the ability to transform their bodies into a form of an animal; like turning into a Hawk or a cheetah. It also gives them the ability to create a mix of their own bodies (Be it human or otherwise) with the animal thus creating a hybrid._

_Logia – Logia's are the rarest of the base fruits. These fruits will give the eater the ability to create, control, and even turn their body into an element of the world. There have been cases of turning the body into Lightning as well as turning the body into ice!_

_As well as these base fruits there are also sub-groups of them but I will go into them in the epilogue of this book. So continue reading for extensive coverage into the known, and even some unknown, Devil Fruits in the world!_

Nemo looked up from his book in thought before he started flicking through the pages until he came across the one he was looking for; the Yume Yume No Mi.

_Yume Yume No Mi. The dream fruit is a paramecia type that gives the user the ability to summon objects and other things from their dreams; whether that is a normal dream, a daydream, or a nightmare. It doesn't matter what it is, if they have dreamt about it then they can create it. It is not known whether this fruit has been consumed yet; see below for a picture of it._

Nemo looked down and instantly recognised the vortex patterned fruit the book was displaying. It looked like a shrunken pumpkin except it was coloured a flat grey and spirals were carved into the side. For a moment Nemo thought back to when he had eaten it and first realised that he had gained an ability but he quickly brought himself back from the flashback and threw the book to the other end of the sofa where it fell open on a random fruit.

He let out a long breath and leant his head back on the comfy sofa cushion he was sitting on, if he had been any normal person he probably would have fallen asleep there and then. But he wasn't normal, despite his tiredness his mind would not let him sleep no matter how fatigued his mind or body was. The only times he could usually grab an hour or so of sleep was just after a battle, which calmed his mind to a state where he could drop off. However, he has never had a peaceful sleep since his fruit; his mind was filled with nightmares and vivid dreams that allow him to use his fruit. He couldn't remember if that was as a result of the fruit's abilities or he had always been like that.

Something began digging into his back and Nemo pulled himself up so he could remove his pipe from his back, laying it neatly next to him and within in easy reach should anything happen. He leant back again and propped his feet up on the small table in front of him, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he did so.

_What am I going to do now, judging by Lin's orders in here we are going to be here for a minimum of 5 days. I'm sure Lin and Mayo will enjoy themselves here but I don't do spa's, I've got to find something else I can do for the duration of our stay. _He thought silently, his brooding look staring back at him from a mirror attached to the roof.

Mayo was already lost, the building looked all the same to her and it was built like a maze; an impossible one at that. After Lin had left them and Nemo and her were led through a separate door, Nemo had left to go to his room and Mayo had been left with one of the staff who had taken her down some corridors until they ended up in a room with a massage bed in the centre. The woman had asked her what kind of massage she wanted but Mayo didn't want to be alone with her for so long, she gave her the creeps. As such she made an excuse and quickly made her exit, deciding that finding Lin was the best idea.

She was intelligent enough that she guessed Lin would be healing up his arm first; once that was fixed he'd be able to relax much more. So she was trying to find a way to get to some type of first aid area but whenever she came across a sign with directions none of them had anything on healing. She turned a corner and came face to wall with a dead end, there were doors either side of her, like there had been in all the corridors, but directly ahead of her was nothing but a blank bit of wall.

_Who would build a dead end in a building… _she puzzled as she turned around and headed back the way she came, except she turned left this time so that she wasn't just retracing her steps. Eventually she came across another junction with a sign on the wall, she walked up to it and quickly read through the list. "Still no medical bay or anything…" she muttered to herself and started to turn around before she caught sight of the lowest on the list. _Recuperation Bay, that sounds like it will be close to the medical bay; It's definitely the best choice._

With her decision made she started out in the direction the sign pointed out, turning when it told her to turn following it closely to avoid getting lost again. Eventually she came across a set of double doors with the words 'Recuperation Bay' above it in black letters, as well as another sign on the wall. Walking up to it she immediately caught sight of the words 'Medical Suite' near the bottom. She immediately changed route and soon enough she came to another set of double doors labelled as the medical suite in a similar way the recuperation bay had been.

As Mayo approached to open it to go in she heard Lin's voice coming from close to the doorway and had a strange feeling that entering right now would not be the best of things she could do. Instead, she walked slowly to the side she thought the voice was coming from and crouched down with her ear to the wood. Mayo wasn't worried about being caught, so far she had seen no staff or other tenants walking the hallways, which she thought was strange but took as particular to Hotel California.

"…is impressive." Lin's voice was saying, full of joy. "It can't have been more then 5 hours and I can already move it without pain." _Five hours! _Mayo thought _Have I really been wandering the halls for that long? _But her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pinging sound and the clattering of metal on tiles. "What the hell is that? That doesn't look like it belongs in my body, or anyone's body at that." There was small screech and then a louder clash as something heavy and metal fell to the floor. "Is this on California's order? Has he got something against me?"

"No, no!" a female's voice cried out, clearly scared. "It's a healing gel; it speeds up the process to allow better motor control of broken limbs!"

"I think you're a liar, I think I better leave before I do something stupid…like kill you." There was a creaking sound and Mayo just managed to move back before the door opened and slammed into the wall where she had been moments ago. Lin stormed out and started down the hall and for a second Mayo thought that he had missed her but he suddenly turned around to face her. 

"Mayo?"

Lin was lying on his back, the bed was level and the nurse was massaging his now fixed arm. "That really is impressive." He said, lifting his arm, surprising the nurse as he flexed his fingers quickly. "It can't have been more then 5 hours and I can already move it without pain." He flexed it a few more times before laying it back on the padded area and letting the nurse resume her massage. It lasted for about 3 seconds before Lin felt something prick his skin and he reacted automatically, causing the needle to snap of and fall to the floor. Lin looked down and saw the nurse holding a tiny needle, now missing the actual needle, in her hand where it was touching his arm. It had some kind of clear jelly like substance in it's tube.

"What the hell is that? That doesn't look like it belongs in my body, or anyone's body at that." He sprang up to a seated position and the nurse stumbled back, and screeched as she collided with a metal trolley that was holding medical equipment. She fell over it and landed on her behind, the trolley clattering to the ground next to her. As Lin swung around and placed his feet on the floor, he advanced on the Nurse with menace in his eyes as the other nurses and patients watched.

"Is this on California's order? Has he got something against me?" He accused. _Something was strange ever since I met up with him; I wonder what he is up to. _

"No, no!" The nurse said, recoiling away from him in fear. "It's a healing gel; it speeds up the process to allow better motor control of broken limbs!"

Lin smirked and crouched down so he was on eye level with the nurse. "I think you're a liar, I think I better leave before I do something stupid…like kill you." He said and stood up abruptly, spinning on the spot and heading out the door, which creaked as he pushed it open.

He walked quickly at it took him a second for his brain to process Mayo standing to the side of the door. Lin turned to face her, his face more relaxed then when he was inside. "Mayo?"

"It's good you are here, I was about to come and find you. Something weird is going on here, let's go find Nemo and get the hell off this island before I end up fighting someone again." He said and grabbed Mayo's hand before marching off down the hall.

_A/N: Something is afoot it seems! Keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter coming to you soon!_


	21. Suspicions Start to Arise

_A/N: Ta da! Isn't this nice, I released a chapter when I actually planned to release it! Hope you enjoy it, read on!_

**Suspicions Start to Arise**

With a start, Nemo sat bolt upright and the glass doors to the balcony exploded in green flame, showering the floor with glass and wood. He was breathing heavy and sweat was covering his face, close to dripping off in droplets. _What in the world…I nodded off for a second there, but that was one of the most intense nightmares I've ever had and so soon after my previous one. Something is strange here… _He thought as he used a pillow to dry his face off. He stood up, picking up his pipe as he did so and holding it loosely in his hand, and made his way over to the demolished door.

The flame looked odd, with the core being a violent green and the extremities being a dull red with electricity running through them. "I've never seen this before…" he muttered as he crouched down and reached his hand out to the flame, which jumped away from him. Nemo's eyebrows furrowed down as he tried to catch the flame again only to have it scuttle across the floor like some beach crustacean. "What the hell?" This time he reached out without moving forward and attempted to disband the fire with his mind but nothing happened, except the flame got a little bit larger.

"Why the hell can't I control it?" He said through clenched teeth. The flame then reared up, taking the form of a stallion and charged towards Nemo. Nemo's eyes grew wide but he dived to the side and the horse passed by him burning a path into the floor. It turned around by the wall and charged once more, Nemo formed a Katana in his hand and sliced through the flaming horse as it passed, slicing it into half, each half falling either side of him. He exhaled and spun around to see the flame taking a form of a man who was standing in the centre of the library area.

"What the hell are you?" he said, not really expecting an answer and wasn't surprised when he didn't get one. The figure raised both of its hands and the flame spewed out of them like water and caught all the books in the library alight, the smoke pouring out of them and gathering at the ceiling. Nemo cursed under his breath and rushed forward, the katana in his hand morphing into a large war fan. With a mighty swing the air in the room swirled around like a cyclone, extinguishing the flame and causing the books to fly across the room, making one hell of a mess.

As Nemo started forward, deciding that leaving it in such a mess wouldn't go down well with Lin, he suddenly stopped and looked around at the books on the floor. Some of them had blown open but the pages inside were blank, he bent down and picked up the nearest book that was in this condition and flicked through the pages; all of them were blank. When he closed the book he also realised that there was no title and the only writing on the spine was gibberish, not making any sense. He threw the book aside and picked up another one, only to get the same result. He threw that book aside and moved back to the sofa area, picking up the Devil Fruit book and opening it only to find it was also empty.

"What the f_u_ck…" he said as he dropped it and then booted it across the room. He was still holding his pipe loosely in his hand but when he heard knocking on his door he gripped it tightly and walked slowly towards the door. The knocking continued and as Nemo reached it, his hand slowly reaching out to the handle to open it, the person on the other side started shouting.

"Oi, Nemo! Open the door before I kick the bugger down!"

Nemo opened the door and stood there was Lin with Mayo next to him. "What took you so bloody long?" Lin asked but didn't wait for an answer before pushing his way past and into the room.

"I'll explain the mess in a minute…" he said as he turned around, only to see the room exactly as it had been before.

"Mess…?" Lin said, looking around the room at it all. "If this is what you call messy, I don't think I want to see what you call tidy." Nemo looked around, nothing in his face to give away his confusion, but decided not to say anything. "Anyway, we're leaving the island now. Something bloody odd is going on and I don't want to get into a fight here, not with all the marines so close to us. So we'll have to skip the Spa day and head on over to Supaida Island now."

Lin moved past Nemo again, heading out the doorway and turning right, heading back the way they had come. Nemo put his pipe on his back and followed him out the door, walking side by side with Mayo. "What happened?" he asked without looking.

"I don't know exactly but I think one of the nurses in the healing centre tried to give him something he didn't what." She said while glancing across at Nemo's bagged eyes, which seemed more prominent then usual. "He got angry, claiming the nurse was lying to him and stormed out, I happened to be passing and he told me we were leaving the island."

"Something strange is definitely happening here; Lin is right in that we have to leave the island." Nemo replied before dropping into silence, thinking about what had happened in his room. He decided that it could have been a strange daydream that had been vivid enough that he had believed it to be real; it happens sometimes.

They continued down the corridor, following Lin's lead as he seemed to know where he was going, until they came across a set of double doors with 'dock' above it in the familiar black lettering. As Lin walked through the door, with Mayo close behind, a door to the side opened up in Nemo's face suddenly and closed just as quickly. Nemo was temporarily blinded and when the door had closed, Lin and Mayo had already passed through the doors to the docks.

Nemo followed them threw only to come out in a long corridor with a single door at the end but no sign of either Lin or Mayo. "Lin?" he called out walking forwards, his hand creeping towards his pipe. "Mayo?" but there was no reply. _Where'd they go, this hall is too long for them to have passed through it in the short time I was delayed. _He thought as he walked forward.

He got to the door at the far end, seeing as that was the only exit, and looked back the way he came to discover that the double doors he had entered through no longer existed. They had been replaced by a sign that read dead end. He turned back to the door before him and opened it, bright light burst through and for a second he was blinded, but he recovered quickly as he stepped outside and looked around.

"So much for the Dock area." He said. Nemo was outside, but it was a swimming pool area with 3 circular swimming pools' two conjoined together at different levels and the third a small but very deep looking one.

He walked past the pools and over to the edge of the area, which was fenced off with a stylish wire mesh like fence. Nemo leant on his elbows, leaning them on the top bar, and looked over the side which revealed a large cliff face with the waves face below him, crashing onto vicious looking rocks at the base. From the height he was at he couldn't see for sure but he thought he could make out the shape of a wrecked ship.

His eyes narrowed, his suspicions of the island and hotel at a high, when he was grabbed by behind around the throat. The thick arm wrapped itself around his throat and locked its elbow with the other arm in a chocker hold that Nemo knew was meant to knock him unconscious. However, he wasn't new to these kinds of things and knew exactly what he needed to do to escape the situation.

He twisted his head so that his throat was in the crook of the elbow, allowing him to breathe, and attempted to bite down hard on the arm only to find it having no effect. He forced himself backwards, pushing the figure with him; until he was clear of the edge then he used his strength and lifted the person off the ground. The figure was not perturbed, however, a kept a tight grip around his neck. Nemo figured he was aiming for the arteries in his neck to stop the blood flow to his brain to knock him unconscious.

Nemo arced his body forward, to keep his foe in the air, and charged towards the single swimming pool, diving off the edge and plunging both himself and his assailant in what turned out to be freezing water. Nemo's breath was taken away from him with the sudden cold and he hoped that the same had happened to the person round his neck. The figure was still there but Nemo felt the grip loosening and took advantage by ramming his fingers into the gap between the arm and his neck and levering it free from dangerous area's.

It worked and Nemo felt the blood rush back to his head, but he was quickly running out of breath and he knew it. For a second Nemo thought the attacker was going to die killing him but the hold suddenly disappeared and he saw the figure swimming towards the surface. _Must have run out of breath before me. _Nemo thought as he righted himself in the water and started towards the surface, his lungs screaming for oxygen.

In what seemed like eternity he finally broke the surface, with a deep ragged inhalation to get the oxygen back into his body. He floated for a second to get his breath back and then swam over to the side, pulling himself out of the water and sitting on the side. He took in another couple of deep breaths before looking around to see if his assailant was going to have a second ago. By the fleeting image Nemo caught of a man running around the side of the building he guessed not, jumping to his feet and sprinting off in the direction the man had gone.

Nemo rounded the corner on a skid, using his hand on the floor to stop himself falling over and started chasing after the man. He wasn't particularly fast when running but the other person wasn't either, they were about the same speed because although he wasn't loosing Nemo, Nemo also wasn't catching up. The man crashed through a set of doors with Nemo in tow and started sprinting down a long straight corridor. Nemo was staring at the man in front of him and missed the fact that the doors down either side seemed to be dancing.

As the two of them sprinted in a straight line, Nemo could see that the guy had shaggy blonde hair and was wearing some sort of black suit; razor like creases could be seen in the back of the trousers. The man hung a left and jumped through a window, the glass shattering around him as Nemo came round the corner and came to a stop at the window ledge, watching as the man dropped down a floor, to another corridor, and started running again.

"Mother f_u_cker…" he said before he too jumped down, a little less gracefully as he landed with a thud and rolled forward onto his backside. Without hesitation he pulled himself up and started running again until he came to a 6-way junction with no way of knowing which way his prey was running. "A f_u_cking mother f_u_cker." He said as he bent over and rested his hands on his knees and he tried to catch his breath.

Nemo thought he had lost the man when a strange laugh filled the halls and a voice echoed down the 3rd corridor on his right. "Come and get me, if you can!" the voice said before it disappeared.

Nemo growled slightly under his breath and started off in the direction the voice had come, the hallway furthest on his right, being more cautious this time as he moved with a slow jog and pulled his pipe into his hand. He followed the corridor for about 5 minutes before he came to one exit that read 'Bar' above the door and when he entered he found himself in a fancy bar with a figure standing behind the counter.

"Welcome to California Bar my friend, what can I get you?" the man said and Nemo instantly recognised it as the one he had been chasing. Nemo looked around, noticing that there were no other patrons in the bar before moving up to the counter and slamming his pipe into the surface, cracking the glass like spider web.

"Friend my ass, you just tried to kill me!" Nemo said ferociously.

The man laughed and lent forward, bringing his head into the light. "Who tried to kill you?" he said as Nemo looked on, dumbfounded.

"What…the…f_u_ck!"

_A/N: Dum dum dum, oh I do like my cliffhangers…is that a good thing? Oh well, hope you enjoyed reading the chapter and keep senses peeled for the next to head your way._


	22. Things Just Get Weirder

_A/N:_

**Things Just Get Weirder**

"Uh, Lin?" Mayo said, slowing down and looking behind her at the empty space that, until moments ago, was occupied by Nemo. "Where did Nemo go?"

Mayo and Lin had passed through the doors and out onto a platform that at least looked like the docks. It was built like a dock but it was also suspended over the edge of the cliff so it was above the water, although there were no ships to be seen. It was roped off by fancy looking velvet red ropes and they had come out in front of a lectern with a man dressed as a bell boy at it. Lin had been approaching the man when Mayo had spoken to him; he stopped and turned around looking at the empty spot next to Mayo.

"Where the hell did that idiot go!" he said as he started to storm back towards the doors. "I told him we were getting off this island, didn't I!" when he pushed against the doors, however, he discovered that they wouldn't budge an inch. He was confused for a second, sure that the door moved outwards, but tried pulling it only to have the same result. Lin spun around and started back to the bell boy who jumped as Lin slapped his palm onto the wood of the lectern.

"Why is the door locked?" he demanded, anger starting to escape into his voice.

The boy was only young and he looked terrified of Lin whose scars had suddenly been thrown into relief by the sun. He whimpered a little bit before he composed himself and his Adam's apple visibly moved as he swallowed and took a breath. "Those doors are always locked, Sir…" he said quietly, not daring to raise his head as a look of pure rage appeared on Lin's face.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he said, not quite shouting but close to it "We just walked through the damn thing and you expect me to believe it is always locked!" He raised a fist but Mayo suddenly stepped forward and gripped his wrist with her slender hand.

"Is that really going to help?" she said and Lin lowered his fist slightly. Then she rounded on the boy and pulled him close by his collar. "Right then, how do we get back in?" she asked politely.

The boy gulped loudly again before answering "Umm, you'll have to go round the side of the building and enter through the pool area. There is a door there that will lead you inside the building." He pointed across to a small alley that curved around the outside of the building.

Mayo smiled and released the boy, allowing him to pull himself back and sort his collar out. "Thank you very much." She said before walking off in the direction he had pointed, only to turn around to see Lin there staring at her. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing." Came the reply and Lin briskly caught up with Mayo before leading the way down the alley.

It took them a couple of minutes but eventually they reached an area that Lin guessed to be the pool area, considering it had 3 pools of water around; two of them connected together but at different levels. As they approached Lin realised there was a large amount of water flooding the area, which was strange. He walked slowly, inspecting the area and came to the conclusion that there had been some sort of fight or struggle in the pools of water.

"Hey, Mayo, check this out." he said and indicated a path of water that led to a door. He moved over to it and gave it a gingerly tap; it slowly opened with an ominous creaking sound. "Why do I get the feeling I'm in some sort of horror flick?" he mumbled as he entered the corridor.

Mayo started after him but suddenly the door slammed shut and no matter how hard Mayo pulled or pushed it, it wouldn't move. She thought about cutting it down but as her hands moved to her swords the door suddenly wiggled and jumped upwards so it was about 6 feet from the ground. _That's…strange. _She thought as she looked around and realised she was no longer standing in the pool area and was in what seemed to be some sort of gymnasium.

The floor was wood panels and the wall was painted a boring beige colour, there were some exercise equipment in one corner, some gymnastics equipment in the other and 4 climbing ropes strapped to the ceiling. Mayo was starting to get freaked out and pulled her swords free, holding them tightly in her hands as her eyes scanned the area.

She stood still for around 10 minutes before she decided that she needed to get moving and find Nemo and Lin. She looked around and found that the only door in the room was a set of double doors behind the row of climbing ropes. She made her way across to them and as she stood in front of them she had a strange feeling that touching them with her bare skin would be a bad idea. As such she swiped at one of the ropes with one of her swords and, expecting it to fall to the ground, was surprised when it jumped out of the way of her blade.

She scowled, and attacked the rope from both sides, her swords swinging fast, only to have the rope suddenly shorten and jump out of the way in a similar fashion to what the door had done earlier. As the rope dropped back down it suddenly whipped out and slapped her in the face, causing her to take a couple of steps back. Mayo reached up with her fingers and touched the side of her mouth, transferring the small amount of blood onto her fingers.

"Something isn't right here, Lin was right when he said we had to get off this island." She said as she stepped backwards and turned around to see if there was another exit other then the one behind the ropes. When she did, however, the rope flicked out again and wrapped itself around her neck. She struggled momentarily and then attacked it with her swords, only to find her attack interrupted by someone else with swords. The sword clash echoed around the hall and Mayo tried to move her head up to see who it was but the rope was constricting her.

She bucked her body forward and sprang backwards gracefully, arching her back and flipping her body, coming to a rest with he feet clinging onto the rope above where it was trying to strangle her, taking the strain of here neck. Now whoever had blocked her swords had gone so Mayo cleanly sliced through the rope and dropped to the ground, landing like a skilled gymnast. There was a high shriek of a laugh and a shadowy figure appeared on a balcony that hadn't been there a minute ago.

Mayo looked up and raced forwards, jumping at one of the remaining ropes and pulling herself up quickly, and in a couple of seconds she was stood within a few feet of the figure but the shadows still covered its features. It shrieked again and then turned and ran full pelt through a doorway, slicing it into fours with its swords.

"Think it can run away from me?" Mayo scowled, her battle personality appearing. "I'll show it!" she shouted before charging after the figure, swords held tightly in her hands.

The chase continued for a number of minutes, racing through identical corridors, dashing through windows that turned into doors, and dodging what seemed to be ancient traps taking the form of large swinging axes or spinning pillars of spikes. Mayo was fast, it was one of the better things about her, but for some reason she just couldn't seem to catch up with her foe, but then they weren't pulling away from her either and Mayo was beginning to get frustrated.

The figure darted round a corner with Mayo hot on her heels, but as Mayo rounded the corner the figure bounced off a dead end and flipped gracefully over Mayo's head, causing her to look up with a look of surprise. _That looked like…._ She thought before she turned around and watched the figure drop down over a railing that hadn't been there a second ago. Mayo rushed up to the railing and leant over it to see the figure running below her, so she didn't hesitate and jumped over, landing in a crouch and then taking off after her foe.

As she burst her way through another door, Mayo came across a round room with 6 other doors on the wall opposite her. She looked around but couldn't see any other exits, even the door behind her had now disappeared, and she couldn't see a hint to where her prey had escaped to. Mayo let out a frustrated sigh and was about to pick at random when the loud shriek of laughter from before erupted from one of the doors, giving a direction for Mayo to run.

The black haired pirate passed through the door, her swords still ready in her hands, and ran down a long corridor. By the time she hit the door at the end, which felt like it was made of lead, it felt like hours had passed although she knew it could have only been a couple of minutes at the most.

The room she entered nearly made her gasp out loud in surprise, because she had walked in on a gargantuan ball hall. It was ornately decorated with gold, silver and an assortment of white and silver fabrics hanging from the roof. There were a number of gold, candle chandeliers studded in the ceiling and on one side of the room was a large fireplace, which was crackling away with fresh flames.

Stood in the centre of the room was a female, Mayo believed it was a female because it was wearing a full royal purple ball gown. As the girl turned around to face Mayo, the latter actually did gasp out loud this time as she looked upon the face of a beautiful woman.

It looked like her, except if she was about 10 years older and everything had gone right for her in the looks department. The smooth black hair was pulled up and stylised into some sort of extravagant knot on the back of her head, and the make-up applied to her face was so well done that it looked like she wasn't wearing at all. Her neck was slender and had a golden choker like necklace around it. The dress was cut low enough on her chest that it showed off her breasts in a complimentary way, not in a provocative one and it swept the floor slightly as she stood there.

She was stood in the near exact centre of the room, her poise perfect with her hands clasped in front of her at her waist. The only movement she had made so far was the lifting of her head, now she was staring at Mayo, the not-quite-pirate noticed she wasn't moving; at all. Mayo approached slowly, her hands still gripping her swords and her eyes darting about looking for any sign of the person she had been chasing earlier. No way was the woman in front of her the person, there hadn't been enough time for her to change into a dress that posh. _\Then again…_ she thought carefully, _Things aren't exactly normal around here at the moment. _

As Mayo got closer to the woman, she realised that her skin wasn't as smooth as it had seemed at first; it was grainy with little bits sticking out, like sand. When she was in touching distant she slowly raised her sword and as the tip was about to touch the skin, the woman suddenly collapsed. Not in the conventional way of falling over but she collapsed like a building, her legs and waist crumbling into dust. Soon, she was nothing more then a pile of sand, not even the fabric of her clothes was still there.

There was a shriek of laughter, Mayo instantly recognised it as her preys, and the room was thrown into pitch black. Mayo looked around blindly and then the light came back on, in a spotlight around her. From what Mayo could tell, she was no longer standing in the ball room; she was now stood in a small concrete room. The light pulsed brightly once and Mayo found herself sitting down in a steel chair, with a similar table in front of her, both bits of furniture were bolted to the floor.

"What the…" she muttered, also realising her swords were now sheathed, but still at her sides.

"Right then, you will give us the answers we are looking for." A voice said, the pitch telling Mayo it was a woman, or a very confused man. Mayo didn't reply and there was the sound of a metal chair being pulled back on concrete before a shadowing figure sat down in front of her. "Now now, you've been sat in here for hours without talking to anyone we've sent in, I suggest you start now, with me."

Mayo scowled and went to draw her swords, to find them stuck fast. "Who the hell are you?" she asked fiercely, still tugging on her swords in an attempt to pull them free.

"Why dear, you know me…" as she spoke, the woman leant forward into the light and Mayo would have fallen over the back of her chair had it not been bolted to the floor.

"I don't believe it."

_A/N:_


	23. Lin Meets Lin, Lin and Lin?

_A/N: Enjoying the story so far? I hope so, thanks for all the reviews, but otherwise I have nothing to say; so read on!_

**Lin meets…Lin, Lin and Lin?**

As soon as the door had slammed shut Lin had spun around but before he could do anything, the floor opened up beneath him and he fell into a long dark tube. Every now and again there was a circular cubby hole and Lin would be blinded by light, only to be thrown back into darkness. Lin couldn't fathom how long he would fall for but he decided he didn't want to wait and find out, he kicked out and stuck his hands out and wedged himself on the tubes walls. With some fine squeaking and a bit of cursing on Lin's part, he came to a stop with one of the windows shining light into his eyes.

He moved his body weight so he was leaning on his legs and pulled his arm back, as far as the small tube would let him, before punching the glass out. Although he never got that far, as soon as his fist was milliseconds away from making impact the glass suddenly disappeared, as well as the tube, and Lin fell a short way onto a wood panelled floor. When he looked up he noticed that the floor was the only thing he could identify as the rest of the area was covered in a thick fog that seemed to be slowly swirling around him.

"Interesting…" he muttered as he stood up straight and dusted himself off "Someone should really dust that damn tube." Lin moved forward and as he did so, so did the mist so that he was always in the centre of the swirling vortex. He dashed forwards, trying a couple of times at different speeds, but no matter how fast or slow he moved the mist would always keep him in the centre. "Well, that's annoying." He said before sitting down and crossing his legs. "I guess running around isn't going to get me anywhere then."

"You skills of 'observation' were always above average…" A voice said. Lin didn't even bother looking around; he could already sense the presence in front of him. When he looked up the mist had formed into a stone throne with a person sitting on it. They were slouched to the side, their head resting on one hand while one leg was thrown over the armrest. "Well now, I'm glad you didn't look around like some sort of fool, trying to locate me!" he finished with a sinister laugh, one that, strangely, Lin recognised.

"Who are you?" He asked, straight to the point with all seriousness.

The man raised a hand to his chin and stroked it slowly. "Yes, an intelligent question…" he mused before the fog cleared completely and he was revealed. "I'm y…" he didn't even get to finish his sentence before Lin was upon him.

With a flash he was up off the floor and had punched the man in the face, only to find his fist pass through the, now returned, fog and break the stone throne into pieces. The man reappeared but this time he was dressed in an immaculate tuxedo, his vivid blue hair bright against the black and white of his suit. He had a wicked smile on his face and a scattering of scars down the right hand side of his head. "Well, I guess that would make me you!"

Lin didn't reply and instead took the time to look at the person opposite him. They were identical in looks, apart from their different attire, down to the exact position the scar was on his face. _Interesting…he really is identical in looks, although he acts a little bit different. _"You may be me, but you're not really there are you?"

The man put a frown on and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye "That wasn't very nice was it, Lin." Lin noticed that he knew his name but didn't say anything. "What if I said you didn't exist!" then he burst into laughter and clutched his belly.

"I didn't say you didn't exist, I said you aren't really there. There is a difference thank you." He said "Now…" something changed in his eyes and a strange invisible aura appeared around his body. "Get, lost." As he spoke, the other Lin opened his eyes in surprise before he burst into fog, fading into the surrounding area before the fog fell to the ground as it disappeared. Then the room fuzzed out of focus and turned into the office Lin had been to when he visited Mr California. "So, you are up to something," Lin stated before turning around and coming face to face with the owner of the island.

Rascal California was sitting on a high backed wooden chair with red & yellow dotted cushions; he had ditched his suit and was wearing a mismatch of armour from past ages. Samurai armour on his left shoulder, medieval armour on his right, steel Italian greaves and gauntlets that seemed to be made of bone. Crossed on his back were two, medium sized battle axes; double-headed and dangerous looking.

"I wonder what you saw that made you hit first and ask questions later…" Rascal mused to himself as he raised his hand and stroked his chin like the alter Lin had done earlier. "Would you care to share?"

"Isn't this your power? Can't you see it yourself?" Lin asked, crossing his arms.

"Alas, this is not so. My power lets me bend reality into an illusion by delving into your own mind and extracting the information. I haven't been able to find any information on the power and have yet to come up with a good name for the fruit…" he closed his eyes for a second as though trying to fish out a thought and then turned them back to Lin. "The reason you see other versions of yourself is because that it the primary thing that hangs around in your head, your personality and its different traits."

"Illusions? No problem then, once I smash you, they poof away, right?" Lin said with a smirk.

"My power doesn't just create illusions, it bends reality into illusions. So what you see is very real, the only difference is that I haven't actually created or changed anything."

"Yeah, sounds confusing, doesn't stop me smashing you." He dashed forward but when he was within a metre of Rascal, the man disappeared in a wisp of smoke, appearing floating behind Lin's head. When Lin turned around with a back hand, Rascal flipped away and landed an inch above the floor on the other side of the office. "Nimble." Lin stated as he turned around and stretched out his arm and leg muscles like he was about to enter a competition rather then a real-world fight.

"I don't know what you are preparing for, you don't think you are going to fight me do you?" Rascal asked as if the very idea was absurd.

"Uh, yeah, that's how these things work. I want to leave, you won't let me, so now I'm going to beat you up to make you release your power and then I can leave here peacefully without getting too mad. Understand?"

Rascal scowled and the lines on his face all deepened and made him look 100 yrs older. "I understand the concept, yes. But the very idea that I would fight is ludicrous. Good heavens, no, I've got someone else to fight."

"Blah, blah, blah." Lin said before taking a step forward and jumping in an attempt to get at Rascal. However when he was nearly within touching distance, something grabbed his leg and pulled him down to the floor, when Lin looked up he saw the tuxedo-version of him standing there with an evil smirk on his face.

"Yo." Was all he said before punching Lin in the face, except Lin had intercepted the blow and now had a hold of Tuxedo-Lin's fist. Lin smiled and pulled himself to his feet, keeping a firm grip on Tuxedo-Lin's knuckles with his strong fingers.

"If you think I can't beat myself, then you are mistaken." Lin said, ignoring the other him and looking at Rascal.

Rascal scowled again before speaking. "Maybe you are more skilled then I imagine, but I'm sure you won't last long."

Lin made a quizzical look before there was a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see a clown version of him, complete with big red nose. "Honk." Clown-Lin said and punched Lin in the face. This time, not expecting the attack, Lin took it all in the face and was thrown backwards, his grip loosening and releasing Tuxedo-Lin who moved to stand next to his clown duplicate.

"Well, well, looks like the jokes on you!" Said Tuxedo-Lin, before starting to laugh hysterically "Do you get it!" he managed before bursting into laughter again.

He was soon interrupted as Lin appeared and planted a foot into his face, sending him cascading backwards and into the wall. Then Lin spun in the air and smashed his heel into Clown-Lin's nose, sending him flying into the opposite wall. "Not yet…" Lin said as he landed and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"That is true." Rascal replied with a smile.

Lin turned around and came face-to-waist with a massive muscle bound hulk, although the blue hair and scars gave it away as another version of him. Muscle-Lin roared and swung down a large, meaty fist, although he hit nothing but the ground as Lin jumped clear of the attack and perched on the back of the fist. "I'm glad I'm not this much of an idiot." He muttered as he flipped backwards and his foot cracked into Muscle-Lin's chin and sent him crashing into the roof, his head getting lodged there comically.

"Really, this isn't going to well for you is it?" Lin chuckled, looking at Rascal who was getting a furious look on his face.

"You are ruining my office!" he called and pointed at Lin accusingly, who simply laughed. "Now I'll drag you down to hell." As he said this a hand appeared out of the ground and grabbed him around the ankle. By the time Lin had looked down in surprise four more hands had appeared and grabbed a hold of his legs, pinning him and preventing him from moving.

They were unnaturally strong, as Lin's strong legs couldn't pull free, and as Lin struggled more hands appeared and gripped hold of him. By the time they reached his waist, Lin realised that they were actually pulling him through the floor.

"Sh_i_t!" he cursed and tried harder to pull free but couldn't do it, now the hands had gotten a hold of his shoulders and neck. "I'm coming back for you, Rascal! You better believe it, then…" was all he managed before his head disappeared under the wood with a ripple like a small rock falling into a pond.

Lin passed through a layer where everything was pitch black and Lin couldn't see anything, much like the tube he had passed through earlier, but then he couldn't feel anything below his feet and as soon as a flickering light hit his eyes he began freefalling. When he righted himself, so he had as much air friction has possible to slow him down, he saw that he was indeed in some sort of Hell area. He knew about Rascal's power so he knew it was an illusion but it was pretty impressive for him to create an area like it.

Just before he hit the floor, he flipped over and attempted to land gracefully, which failed when he saw that the floor was like jelly, so he crumpled on it and then bounced into the air once before landing on his face on a normal bit. Lin stood up, brushing himself off for a second time that day, and looked around. The area he was in was as large as a football field, made of a dark red rock-like substance. Surrounding this area was things you would associate with hell; fire, tortured souls, things like that.

Lin's attention was grabbed by a cough and he looked down to see a group of people about 100 strong. At the front were Tuxedo-Lin, Clown-Lin and Muscle-Lin, with the group behind them more versions of Lin.

"This could get exciting." He said as Muscle-Lin roared and the crowd surged forward, seemingly intent on crushing Lin into the ground. He quickly flexed his shoulder, arms and legs and then ripped off the marine top he was wearing, _I was getting tired of that anyway _he thought, and tossed it to the ground to show off his muscles, which were now covered in sweat. He slipped his hands into his pockets and took a stance which balanced him on one leg and brought the other up as high as it would go, bent at the knee.

"Bring it." was all he said as Muscle-Lin swung to attack.

_A/N: Ooo, doesn't this look fun? Keep eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter people!_


	24. Nemo's Nightmare

_A/N: Thanks for the comments guys and please, read on! (Nothing interesting to say, how boring…)_

**Nemo's Nightmare**

"Who the hell are you?"

The man stood at the bar was dressed in an immaculate tuxedo, ironed in all the right places with no stray creases in sight. His skin was well tanned and his blue eyes and blonde hair stuck out even more so then normal. Dark bags hung under his eyes but he didn't look tired at all, in fact he was much the opposite, his energy oozing out of him. He cocked his head to the side and his blue eyes looked on with Nemo's.

"Who am I? The question I should be asking is; who are you?" he said with a smile, a small chuckle escaping from the base of his throat.

"I'm more irritable then usual right now, this place is pretty f_u_cked up. So I'm not going to play your stupid games." He pulled his pipe free from the trench he had dug in the glass counter and smashed it, hard, into Tuxedo-Nemo's face, throwing him backwards into the glass shelves that held the drinks. It smashed under the force and a waterfall of glass fell to the floor, scattering across the room as Tuxedo-Nemo slumped down on his back with his head lolled forward, blood dripping from his hairline.

Nemo kicked out and the glass bar disintegrated under his blow, showering the collapsed Tuxedo-Nemo with more glass. Nemo looked down in disgust and then swung down his pipe like an executioner's axe, to find it stopped mid-swing. Tuxedo-Nemo had raised an arm and caught the pipe in his hand, stopping Nemo in his tracks.

"I knew it…" he said as he slowly lifted his head so that he was looking at Nemo again. "…you're a weakling!" he shouted the last word and drove a boot into Nemo's gut, shoving him backwards, his own boots getting no grip on the shattered glass, before pulling himself up and pulling his own pipe out of thin air. "Now fight me properly!"

Tuxedo-Nemo dashed forward and jabbed at Nemo's stomach, the tip of the pipe not sharp enough to penetrate but enough to punch the wind from Nemo's lungs. He gasped for air and managed to deflect the next attack, sending his doppelganger careening into a glass table smashing it pieces and adding more glass to the floor. _Why is there so much glass, we haven't smashed that much stuff… _Nemo thought as he looked around at the floor, catching his breath.

The glass was now a couple of inches deep across the entire room, it seemed to be multiplying on its own like there was a hidden tap in the floor, spilling more glass into the room. As Nemo walked, the glass crunched under his feet and he had to concentrate to stop himself slipping over, especially when his opposite charged forward and swung at his neck. Nemo leant back to avoid the attack and countered by kicking out and catching the inside of Tuxedo-Nemo's knee.

He spun slightly, and dropped to the knee that Nemo had hit and Nemo took the opportunity to land a fist in his face, sending him toppling to the floor. Tuxedo-Nemo tried to kick his legs out but the pipe-wielding pirate jumped up and stamped down on the leg, snapping it in two. The leg bent at a 90o angle on the shin and Tuxedo-Nemo was screaming in pain and anger.

"You f_u_cking weakling!" He screamed and clutched at his leg. "I knew it! I f_u_cking knew it!" Nemo looked at him with no emotion as he stepped on the broken leg again, causing Tuxedo-Nemo to scream out again.

"You have an odd concept of a 'weakling'." Nemo said, kicking Tuxedo-Nemo back down when he attempted to sit up. "I'm the one winning." It wasn't a gloat; it was a statement of fact.

"Winning!" Tuxedo-Nemo sneered "You have no idea of the concept of winning…" he was laying on the floor, cradling his leg, his eyes filled with venom directed at Nemo. "Should I show you what 'winning' really means?" He roared and leapt to his feet so quickly that Nemo didn't have any time to react as he rammed his pipe into his stomach and head-butted him in the face causing him to stumble backwards. "You should have killed me when you had the chance!" He screamed as his pipe became enveloped in a shroud of red smoke with small flickers of lightning.

It funnelled into a tornado and when it had cleared Tuxedo-Nemo had an armoured arm the size of a train on his right hand side. "F_u_ck…you!" he said before throwing the massive fist forward,

Nemo quickly glanced around for a route to escape from but he knew with his speed he wouldn't get anywhere near the gaps before being crushed to pieces. He decided to take the brunt of the attack, trying to prevent most of the damage with his pipe; it wasn't very successful.

The punch was so powerful that Nemo was shoved backwards, his boots getting no grip on the glass-covered floor, and crashed through a wall which also turned into glass and showered down onto the floor. Nemo landed roughly on his back, looking up at the ceiling and realised they were in an identical room to the first, before his view was blocked by Tuxedo-Nemo crashing his massive fist into him. It looked like it was aimed at the face but to Nemo it didn't matter, the fist was big enough to cover his entire body and it did so, bouncing him off the hard floor.

He grunted in pain as one of his teeth came out and blood started to leak from his, now broken, nose. Nemo rolled over onto his front and as he pulled himself to a crouching position, spitting out bits of bloodied gum, his alter ego stood on the back of his head and rammed it down to the floor. Then he kicked him in the side of the head and sent Nemo spinning across the floor, leaving a small blood trail in his wake.

Nemo managed to take a glance at Tuxedo-Nemo and he saw that he now had a second train sized arm on his other arm. As he touched the two fists together they merged and became clutched fists for use with a hammer attack. There was a twisted smile on his face as he approached and then slammed the hands onto Nemo, once, twice, three times before separating them again and as Nemo was in mid-bounce punched him and sent him flying into the wall, where he lodged in the glass, the sharp points cutting into his sides.

"Now, now, didn't I f_u_cking tell you?" Tuxedo-Nemo sneered, walking forward slowly, his giant fists dragging along the ground.

"How…?" Nemo managed to say, his voice weak because of the assault on his body.

"How, what? How did I beat you? That's easy…" he paused and walked a bit closer, lowering himself so they could look eye-to-eye. "No, you mean how can I keep dreams this size manifested and yet not look or act tired at all?" He laughed out loud and the red smoke swirling around his arms dissipated into the air, returning Tuxed-Nemo to normal. "It's because you have this amazing ability and you don't even know how to f_u_cking use it! You don't even know the god damn side effects of your power. Shall I tell you, do you want to f_u_cking know!"

He sat down cross legged on the floor and kept his eyes locked on Nemo's "Of course you want to know…" he said, his smile disappearing for the first time. "You've had this 'curse' for a while now and you still use it in its most ineffective way; this power couldn't be matched any worse. You see, the Yume Yume fruit gives you the ability to extract things from your dreams and use them in the real world, this is true. However it also has the side affect where it makes you tired, so you sleep, so you dream, so you have something to fuel the power with. In your case, you're a stupid ass bloody insomniac of something! You don't bloody sleep, so you get exhausted when you use the tiniest amount of power! It's pathetic."

"If it was a normal person, they'd me much more powerful…like me!" Nemo growled under his breath in response but he didn't have the strength to pull himself free, yet. "But, there is also something else you have missed, something that makes you one of the scariest people in the world; the ability to project a person's nightmare straight into there heads!" Tuxedo-Nemo suddenly lunged forward and splayed his hands across Nemo's head. "So you can hurt them while using the least amount of energy."

Nemo felt a strange sensation in his head but what he couldn't see was that Tuxedo-Nemo's fingers were pushing themselves into his head. "Now then 'Nightmare' Nemo, let's see what your nightmare is!" he said before everything went black for Nemo.

When he opened his eyes again he was no longer stuck in the wall in the bar, it didn't even look like Hotel California anymore. He was stood in a perfect cube, about 6ft3, which shone a brilliant white, so bright that Nemo had to squint to stop himself being blinded.

It didn't stay white for long though, a red drop materialised in the centre of the floor, about as large as a dinner plate to start with, before it started seeping outwards. Nemo looked at it quizzically, momentarily forgetting that he didn't know where he was, and slowly approached it. He pulled out his pipe, which he was relieved to find on his back, and gently touched it against the red substance, catching a bit on the end of the metal and bringing it up to his face to examine it properly.

"Blood…" he muttered before the blood on the end of his pipe suddenly moved and started moving towards his hand. He tried to shake it off with a whipping motion but it clung on like a small animal. Then he realised it wasn't just moving down his pipe it was eating it and changing it into blood so that he was left with just half the length of pipe he started with. Nemo instantly dropped it and it soon joined the mass of blood which had nearly covered the entire floor while Nemo had been distracted.

He started to push himself up against the wall to avoid the blood and then realised it was futile, because he was stuck in the box, so stood normally as the blood swept around his shoes. He tensed, expecting the stuff to start climbing him, but relaxed as soon as he realised that it wasn't. "So this is meant to be my nightmare!" He called out, expecting his Tuxedo'd counterpart to make an appearance, but nothing happened.

Then the white walls pulsed brightly and when Nemo could see again he saw that the walls were now made of glass and there were shadowy figures behind it. He waited for something else to happen but nothing did, so he slowly moved forward until he was an inch of so away from the glass. So transfixed by these figures, Nemo had missed the fact that the blood was slowly filling the room up and had already reached his knee's and still going.

Nemo leant in closer, to get a better look at the figure in front of him, when it suddenly lurched forward and when Nemo saw who it was he roared in anger and punched the wall in front of him. There was the sound of breaking glass but Nemo couldn't see anything breaking, before he noticed his arm was no missing, jagged edges at the stump like he was made of glass. "No!" he called and moved away from the glass wall to the other side where a second figure lurched forward and Nemo roared again, except this time it was a mixture of fear and anger. As the third figure fell forward his cry was nothing but fear "This can't be happening, this can't be happening, Damn you!" he cried, slipping up and falling backwards so he was submerged up to his chest with the blood.

"It's a nightmare, it's a nightmare, it's not actually happening!" he cried crawling backwards so that his back was against the glass wall. As he glanced down, he realised the blood was about to reach his mouth and jumped up to standing and trying to wipe the blood clear from his hands. "This _isn't _real!" he said as Tuxedo-Nemo appeared behind the glass, his hands clasped behind his back and a smile on his lips.

"Oh, it is _f_u_cking _real!" he said with a laugh "I make it real, you could make it real to if you weren't a stupid little weakling. You know what though, I don't really ca…" his speech was interrupted as a blade appeared in his side, just below his left hand ribcage. "Oh…?"

Nemo stood there with a standard katana in his hands, except it was around 10 ft long, and it was red shadows with lightning crackling through it. "I can't believe I didn't try this before, my powers still work here." He said, back to his normal calm self, despite the fact that the room was slowly filling up with the blood. He didn't say anything else and swept the sword in a long arc, the blade passing through his chest as Tuxedo-Nemo fell apart into two pieces.

The glass exploded and Nemo free-fell for a second before landing on a desert sand dune, where he rolled forwards and dropped down a slope before coming to a rest in a heap at the bottom. "Ow." He said, standing up and brushing himself off, giving up after realising the sand was clinging to the blood that covered his bottom half. _That was weird; his dream fists actually hurt me physically as my sword actually cut him in half…what's going on? _He thought when someone coughing behind him caught his attention.

"Ahem…" the voice coughed and Nemo turned around to see yet another person with his face, except this one was wearing Greek armour. Brass breastplate, forearm guards, and greaves, a roman gladius at his side. "Hello there, did you really think that was the end?"

_A/N: Ooo, wasn't that entertaining! How you liked it stevethemime, as well as everyone else! Guess who's next! Keep eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way!_


	25. One From the Beginning

_A/N: Ooo, sorry people! I totally forgot to mention last chapter that I'd be out of computer contact for a while! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! And to make up for that, here's two chapters for you, have fun!_

**One since the beginning**

"This is impossible; there isn't any kind of way you could be here!" Mayo was saying, shaking her head as she smothered her face into her hands. "No possible way!"

"I'm afraid that it's impossible to deny the fact of my presence, little angel." The woman said.

As soon as Mayo had seen the face of her interrogator, lights had snapped on completely illuminated the room, as well as the people in it. The room itself was nothing special; Mayo had guessed some of what it had looked like anyway. It was longer then it was wide, like a wide corridor, and the roof was way above them, nearly out of sight. They were made out of some sort of stone, smoothed to feel like varnished wood under a touch. The metal chairs and tables that Mayo was sat at was the only visible furniture in the room, being the same colour as the walls and bolted to the floor.

However it was not the room that Mayo was concerned about, in fact the moment the lights had turned on her eyes had focused on one thing and one thing alone; the woman standing in front of her. She was a little taller then Mayo, her hair was just as black and pulled into a tight bun high on the back of her head, her eyes were chocolate brown in contrast to Mayo's blue eyes. Her complexion and build was similar to Mayo, although generally longer and her breasts were more prominent. She was wearing a charcoal grey jacket, an open collared white shirt below, and a pencil skirt dropping down to her knees. She also wore dark stockings on her legs and high heeled black shoes on her feet.

"Well, well, well…" a voice said and Mayo flicked her head up and span around on her chair, the metal stopping her momentum halfway due to it being bolted to the floor. The slicked hair of Rascal came into view and he had his arms folded twice in front of his chest, as well as a curious look on his face. "This is the first time I have come across such a person." He said and Mayo physically recoiled, pulling herself to her feet with a look of disgust on her face; just by the way he spoke.

"Who are you?" She asked slowly.

"It is not me you should be interested in." he drawled, before lurching forward suddenly.

Mayo's hands flashed down to her swords with skill but her fingers closed around nothing but thin air, she glanced down to see her swords missing and when she looked up again, Rascal had disappeared.

"Now, Mayo, don't say you've forgotten me already?" Mayo whirled around, forgetting about the woman for a moment, and realised instantly that her swords were now around the woman's waist. She opened her mouth to say something but the woman interrupted. "No! These are mine; you know it as well as I do. She never meant to give them to you! Just because I wasn't there, she betrayed me!" he voice had a vicious edge on it and it sounded like she was on the verge of shouting.

Mayo was stunned into silence, but that didn't last long as her cockiness, usually surfacing only in battle, bubbled to the surface. "Oh, as If!" she snarled and swiftly spun out of her seat, lightly jumping into the air so that she landed on top of the steel table, her knee's bent and her fingers touching the cold metal. The woman faltered but didn't have time to react properly before Mayo had leapt into the air and flipped over her, like some gorgeous bird of prey.

As the woman looked up, she met Mayo's eyes as the pirate flew over her head, rotating her body while holding her hands crossed in front of her chest. Their eyes met for only a second before Mayo's head whipped away and she landed on the floor by the woman's feet. She jumped forward and her hand reached out to grab one of her swords, but the woman was just as fast, leaping backwards. The woman bounced once and then jumped properly; arching her body mid jump and doing a perfect, graceful, back flip before landing on the opposite side of the table so that she and Mayo had now swapped places.

"Come now Mayo, you still haven't admitted who I am…" the woman said, standing straight and resting her hands on her hips, just above the pair of swords.

"I don't need to admit who you are, because I've come to realise who you actually are." She paused and a sly smile appeared on her face, flashing her teeth for an instant. "Nothing but a figment of my imagination I'm guessing…" she waved her hand around at the room as she continued "…as is all of this."

The woman laughed heartily, her body shaking with the noise "Oh, you always cracked me up…" she said, wiping away tears that had sprung from her eyes "Oh yes, always. But you're only half right, I am Savilia….Kecha Savilia, and you know it to be true."

Mayo was about to respond when Rascal reappeared, resting one of his long arms around Kecha's shoulders while his other hung loosely by his side, nearly touching the floor. "It's true…" he said, picking his nose with his free hand as he spoke. "…and it is what I was referring to before 'a person like you', someone who thinks more about someone else then themselves. Very interesting indeed." He mused as Mayo narrowed her eyes, listening, and planning a way to retrieve her swords. Rascal then lowered his head into his hands and muttered something, loud enough for Mayo to hear, clearly talking to himself though. "It's also the first time I have been able to infiltrate my own power, is it because she thinks of Kecha?"

"Yeah, um, I'm going to have to beat you up now, since you're the one causing all of this." Mayo said, and then dashed forward without waiting for any kind of response.

Rascal took an instinctive step backwards as Kecha moved forward and drew one of her swords to fight with. Mayo had hoped Kecha would only draw one sword, so was glad as she brought it up high to begin her attack, Mayo ducked low and as the blade began swinging in a wide arc attack, Mayo began rotating. The blade passed within inches of Mayo's chest, maybe slicing through a couple stray fibres from her top. Kecha had a look of surprise her face which only deepened as Mayo ducked under her outstretched arm and took a hold of the sword still sheathed.

Kecha spun to pull away, but Mayo used the momentum to pull the blade free, the white metal shining in the bright lights, and then planted her feet squarely on the floor before ramming the blade into Rascal, all the way until the guard clinked against the metal of his armoured chest piece. He looked surprised for a second and then smiled, before melting into a small puddle of water the evaporated into the air nearly instantly.

She felt something behind her, and based on nothing but instinct and training, she dodged to the side, twisting her body until her free hand had hold of Kecha's sword wrist and her blade at the woman's throat. Kecha froze in place, the cold metal just barely touching her skin, but clearly telling her how sharp it was.

"I must say I wasn't expecting that." She said slowly, being carefully not to move her throat too much as she spoke. "To think you would be this skilled once a blade was in your hand, but do not think you are the only one to have done _the _training." The way she spoke the word 'the' gave the impression that there was none other like it, but Mayo knew that the form she fought with was nothing special, her master had said so.

As minutes passed, feeling like hours, Kecha convinced herself that Mayo would not deal the killing strike. If she had meant to kill her the blade would have sliced through her already. She closed her eyes and with a quick motion jerked her head back. The metal left her skin and Kecha spun around, and down, so that her wrist was ripped free of Mayo's grip, who dodged back in surprise at Kecha's sudden movement.

Kecha instantly reared forward again, her blade flying through the air with killing intent. Except that intent hit nothing but air as Mayo spun her body outwards, as if Kecha had always been aiming at the air to her right. As she spun, Mayo's sword appeared from where it had been held near her body, and the tip of the blade whipped at Kecha's face, snaking a thin tendril of red as it passed across the cheek.

Kecha pulled away and her free hand moved to her face, sweeping across the cut and dying her fingers red. She looked down at the blood on her fingers and then back up at Mayo, only to find she was no longer there. Kecha whirled around but couldn't see her; it shouldn't have been too hard as the room was nothing more then a long corridor. Then she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her to look up, which she did and found Mayo floating above her.

She wasn't literally floating, she was just in mid jump as Kecha looked up, her blade held close to her body. She landed just in front of the steel table and spun on the spot, her sword flashed out and sliced through the table legs, leaving it balancing precariously. Kecha started forward, thrusting forward with her blade in an attempt to pierce Mayo at the base of her neck. Mayo, however, was expecting this, and did a neat little back flip, her foot catching the lip of the table and carrying it into the air.

Mayo didn't let the table fly away, instead she kept it hooked with her toes and the table crashed into the top of Kecha's arm, pushing the sword, and her, down to the floor. Kecha cried out, throwing the table off her but it was pushed to the ground again as Mayo landed on her shoulders and used her weight to pin Kecha to the floor. Kecha tried to look up at what Mayo was doing but the next thing she felt was a blade passing through her arm and she looked to see Mayo's sword impaled in her upper arm, numbing her arm enough for the sword in it to roll just out of reach.

It had been a strong thrust, and the blade had pierced into the ground, as well, trapping Kecha to the ground. She couldn't stand the pain long enough to pull I free so resounded to just lying there with a hint of a whimper on her lips. Mayo stepped off her and quickly walked over to the fallen sword, picking it up she examined the handle to see the embedded 'E' in it. Mayo then looked up, at Kecha, and scowled. "If you were not in the form of Sister, I would have killed you already, be glad of that." Mayo then noticed that the scabbards Kecha had been wearing had disappeared, so glanced down, and discovering them back around her waist. She slipped the sword in her hand into it's scabbard with a small click.

"But now I don't know what to do with you…" she muttered, closing her eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths. Now she was out of battle, she was returning to normal and worried about the impact that Kecha would have on her. However, she soon found out there was no need to worry as when she opened her eyes she was surprised to find Kecha gone.

"Kecha?" Suit-Mayo said, looking at the blade sticking in her arm. She gave a yell and pulled it free, letting it clatter to Mayo's feet. "You know who I really am."

Mayo was confused but didn't dwell on it, still knowing it was all a figment of her imagination; or something close to it. Instead, she flicked the sword at her feet into her hands and dashed forward, the blade easily passing through the flesh of her stomach and angled up it cut through the bottom of her heart. Suit-Mayo gasped out loud but couldn't do anything as Mayo removed the blade and span viciously, before her blade swung out and passed through the neck of Suit-Mayo. A small gurgle emitted from her throat, before red bubbles appeared on a line around her neck, and she fell back, her head rolling free from her shoulders and coming to a rest a couple of feet away from its body.

Mayo flicked her blade at the ground, removing most of the blood, and re-sheathed it quickly, turning around and wondering what to do now. She didn't think long as the walls cracked and, despite looking and feeling like steel, fell apart like ancient stone. Mayo was left standing on a raised rectangular platform amidst a raging sea. She glanced across to her right and saw a figure standing in the waves as though they were standing on rock. At a longer look she realised it was someone in her form, although she was dressed like an ancient knight, armoured up to the neck.

"tut, tut, now that Kecha is out of the way, things just got a whole lot harder for you." She said before donning a helmet, with what looked like angel wings coming off of it, and pulling a double handed sword free of its holding.


	26. Lin Loses Out

**Lin Loses Out**

"Invertido Meteoro!"

What sounded like a sonic boom erupted and shockwaves bounced around as Lin planted his heel into Muscle-Lin's stomach and fired him into the air, with a couple of other versions of Lin for good measure. They kept flying up until they hit some sort of fiery barrier and disintegrated; but if that was all it took to finish them, Lin would have been finished a long time ago.

But as soon as the ashes were lost to view, the 'Lin's' who had been killed pulled themselves free of the ground, much like Zombie-Lin had done when he had first appeared, and joined back in with the fray. Lin had been fighting alternate versions of himself for what seemed like days to him, although he had long ago lost track of how time worked in the warped world of Rascal California's, so it could have been mere minutes since he had begun.

Sweat covered his body head to toe and his breathing was beginning to get laboured, as he dodged yet another attack and landed a kick in the centre of the attackers face, sending him flying backwards and knocking over others like a bowling ball. But he didn't manage to gain any second to rest as more of his alternate versions delved in for the attack.

He crushed one's head to the floor, caught another one with an uppercut, booted a third in the gut and rammed his fist into the throat of a fourth; all within a second. _Shit! This can't go on for much longer, I'm going to collapse with exhaustion in a minute. _Lin elbowed another in the face while spinning to avoid the blade of a Lin with a katana and dressed like a samurai heading into battle. He planted the back of his heel in the side of Samurai-Lin's head and crushed his helmet into small pieces.

"Enough!" Lin roared and spun like a top, pushing the Lin's back until he had a circle with about 2 metres diameter. He crouched low, before springing into the air, flipping over and positioning himself so that his legs, one pointed up and one down, could have been a steel girder. "Angélical Bajada!"

He landed in the ground like an arrow as his attack took effect; a small crater appeared beneath the foot that hit the ground and systemically it spread outwards. The ground raised close to a foot in the air in concentric circles, throwing the Lin's up and away until they were all lying on the floor in heaps and piles. Lin spun once on a single leg and then came to a rest with bent knees and his hands resting there as he caught his breath.

"Phew…" he said, wiping away sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. "That wasn't meant to be used when I'm this knackered." He flexed his shoulders and wiggled his arms, causing a number of cracks to sound as he exhaled sharply and then drew air in slowly. The Lin's were now rising again and shaking their head from the attack. Only a dew of them had to actually revive from death from being crushed by other Lin's piling on top of them.

"This isn't going to end anytime soon it seems." He muttered as he got ready to battle again, before a loud gong sound filled the area. "Eh…" Lin said as the other Lin's all froze like statues. "What in the…" He watched as their skin became leathery and old and after a couple of seconds they seemed like nothing but skin and bones.

A breeze ran across the surface of the hell-like land and the Lin's all shook slightly before disintegrating and leaving Lin all by himself. That didn't last long however as the area around him turned into dust until Lin was left standing in Rascal's office, the owner himself stood before him with a shadowy figure behind him.

"Well, Mr Lin, you lasted a whole lot longer then I expected I must say." Rascal said, tugging at the armour covering his chest "Most the people can't even get past the first ones, let alone over one hundred! You have impressed me…" As he spoke, Lin's eyes drifted from his face to the shadowing figure behind. Rascal himself stopped speaking as he realised what Lin had noticed.

He chuckled quietly and Lin snapped his eyes back to Rascal. His teeth were clenched and his eyes showed anger beyond any form of reasoning. "What… the… hell… is… that…!" he said, through his teeth; his fists clenched hard by his sides.

"Well, this is the reason I'm not letting you continue with your…ah, exercise." Rascal stepped aside and gestured with his double-jointed arm at the shadowy figure. The figure stepped forward, the light catching the brown leather of his boots. "Now I know why you've been here before, and why I didn't recognise you in the first place. A sneaky little secret you've been keeping."

"However, you have been under my control long enough now that I was able to delve as deep as I needed to, to bring forth the part I was looking for." Rascal chuckled again and moved so he was stood an equal distance between the figure and Lin, facing inwards to look at both of them. "I was interested when you said the last time you had been here was before I had started catering for the marines; that was a long time ago. So I knew I had to catch you and keep you busy long enough to do what I needed to do. But I must say, I was surprised when _he_ came out…" he gestured at the figure, who had now crossed its arms across its chest "…a very dangerous individual. Why, everyone in all the blues knows the name of K…"

Rascal's speech was interrupted as Lin exploded forward towards the shadowy figure, a face of pure rage. Rascal started to laugh but he stopped mid-chuckle as Lin placed a foot on the floor and changed directions, now heading straight for him. The shadowy figure dashed forward now, the light catching on metal, before he froze in mid-dash. Lin had also stopped as he looked at Rascal with confusion.

Rascal was still mid-laugh but it was now that Lin realised that that wasn't because Lin had changed direction; it was more to do with the thin red line now appearing along his chest, just above his belly button. A red liquid started leaking out of it as the bottom half of the chest armour clinked down, hanging from a single leather strap attached to his belt. There was the sound of suction, like a plunger being pulled free of a toilet, and Rascal no longer had any arms as they settled on the floor in pools of blood that kept growing as blood was pumped from the stumps Rascal now possessed.

"Well…" Rascal said, a small amount of blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth "…looks like someone managed to sneak in without coming through the front." As he spoke his voice got quieter and quieter until he spoke the last word as nothing more then a silent whisper. His body pitched forward and Lin had to jump back to avoid the splash of blood as Rascal's body fell to the floor, his upper body falling away from the lower where he had been cut in half.

Lin glanced to his right but the shadowy figure had now disappeared, so he looked back at Rascal before a laugh filled the room. Lin started as he recognised the laugh and the wall in front of him exploded as a familiar figure stepped into the room, his head brushing the ceiling and a massive sword resting on his shoulder, while another similar sized sword was on his back.

"You're dead." Lin said, staring at the sudden appearance of the figure.

"Hehehehehe…" The man brushed his startling white hair back as his red eyes glared down at the person before him. "Mayo and that boy did quite the number on me, but they didn't deliver the final blow like they should have." Marshall T Kubin laughed again and swung the sword around slowly, digging the tip into the ground. "Now, I do believe I owe you something."

Lin scowled in reply but said nothing.

As the last of Rascal California's life drained away from him, the influence of his power over the island and its inhabitants dwindled away with it. The large building called Hotel California blew away in the wind as nothing but brown dust, as well as a number of pirates and marines who were standing around looking startled. One such marine recovered quickly and took in the sight of the gathered pirates. His mind jumping to the conclusion that the pirates were to blame, he pulled a pistol from his belt and shot the closest pirate to him.

This action seemed to spark the others to life and soon enough the island had turned into an all out brawl between pirates and marines. Most of the participants didn't really have a reason for fighting other then they were on opposite sides, whereas others clearly had a personal grudge to settle as they battled with grim looks on their faces and pride in their blades.

Soon the sound of gunfire and metal clashing on metal filled the air, along with shouts of anger, shouts of joy and other shouts of the like. Pirates clashed with the marines as the marines followed their duty and the pirates followed their freedom. Nothing could stop them now, not until one side or the other completed their goal. Some of each side had escaped back to their ships but they were now engaged in sea battles, the roaring of cannons joining in

And in the middle of it all; Lin facing off against Marshall, and it wasn't fairing too well for the blue haired pirate captain. Thanks to Rascals little challenge Lin wasn't in good shape and the skill of Marshall was just high enough that he was currently winning their encounter. The sword he had in his hand was the lighter of the two he owned, Rekishichizu or otherwise known as The Atlas Blade. It was flashing through the air at the great speed that Marshall could make it move and deep gauges were cut into the ground were he swung his blade.

At the moment, Lin was only in the condition to dodge the attacks; having fought with Marshall before, he knew that if he tried to clash with him, he would need the strength that his tired body couldn't provide him at the moment.

The blade flickered through the air and Lin jumped to the side as the ground where he had been previously standing exploded with a plume of dust and wreaking leaving a gouge in the ground. "Stop running like a rat!" Marshall called, stepping forwards out of the dust. "I was hoping for a rematch, not an execution."

"Heh, you're just lucky you caught me as you did, or I'd be whupping your butt right at this point." Lin sneered, his breath laboured now, sweat covering every inch of him. "Rascal's clever tricks just took a bit more out of me then I expected is all."

"I can't believe someone like him could give someone like you trouble, I just wish I was able to see what he was showing you."

"What?"

"Oh come on, I was listening outside the entire time. This California guy showed you something that made you pretty darn angry…I'd like to know what it was so I could use it and maybe you'd become more serious."

"Serious…" it was a whisper and Marshall didn't hear what he said, causing the tall pirate to lean forward to listen.

"Sorry, I missed that."

Lin glanced behind him, realising that he was pretty close to the edge, and a plan formulated in his mind. He flexed his muscles and made an obvious show as if he was recovering from something, throwing a glare at Marshall as he did so. "Serious is what I said. I was thinking it was about time I got serious and beat the living snot out of you as a lesson…unless you joined my crew of course."

Marshall was temporarily stunned but recovered quickly, snorting in laughter and stabbing his blade into the ground. "I thought I already answered a question about that…" he reached behind him and his hand grasped the whitened handle of the sword on his back. "…and I'm pretty sure I told you to f_u_ck off." He pulled the sword free of the hook it was on and held it out in front of him. "You remember old Ryuujin Toorima right?"

He didn't wait for an answer and dashed forward, moving the blade high in the air and aiming for a vertical slice downwards. Lin made to move to his right but at the last second hesitated and the blade sliced down him from head to crotch. However, he had leant back at the last second and received the blow only down his chest; although it was a deep cut. Blood surged forth as Lin slowly fell backwards, until he was clear of the edge where he began to fall towards the sea.

His limp body spun in the air until he was facing the sea and a look of worry appeared on his face. _Bugger, that attack was more effective then I thought, I can't move my body at all… _he hit the surface of the sea with a sickening smack and then slowly sank beneath the surface, bubbles streaming behind him.

Marshall walked to the edge of the cliff himself, Rekishichizu now on his back and Ryuujin Toorima resting on his shoulder, and looked down with a saddened look on his face. "It is a shame, 'Devil Leg' Lin, that you fell so easily; it seems my revenge has been drawn short."

_A/N: Dum dum dum! A twist (wait, another one!)! Hope you enjoyed the chapters, and keep eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way (which _will _come one time!) :)_


	27. Not According to the Plan

_A/N: Nothing to say except; read on!_

**Not According to the Plan**

Nemo's armoured doppelganger had him around the throat in an iron-like headlock and no matter what Nemo did he couldn't break free from the grip. The fight with him and been short, this particular Nemo seemed to be much more adept at using his powers without tiring out or limited the effectiveness of it. It had soon ended with Nemo in the position he was now, out of energy and held fast by Greek-Nemo.

"Now the, let's show you something else you can do with your powers." He said and started to squeeze with more pressure, his muscled arm closing down on Nemo's windpipe. Nemo realised he was being knocked out and started struggling to get free again. "Come one now, Nemo, you know you can't beat m…" he suddenly stopped talking suddenly and Nemo felt his squeezing stop as well.

There was a sound like wood splintering and Nemo managed to pull away, it took him a couple of seconds before he saw he had pulled Greek-Nemo's arm along with him. "What the…?" he said as his twin faded into black and white and then disappeared into dust, along with the arm that Nemo was holding in his hand. It blew away in a non-existent wind and it was a couple of seconds before the desert setting blew away with him. Eventually Nemo was left standing in the familiar corridor that belonged to Hotel California; but that didn't last very long.

In a couple more seconds the walls blew away as dust and Nemo saw the entire complex follow suite. Soon he was standing in the remains of a building as if it had been destroyed many years ago and when he looked around, bewildered, he noticed many other people doing the same. On closer inspection he realised that these other people were pirates and marines alike, which is when he heard the gunshot.

Nemo ducked instinctively and watched as the battle begun, as pirate fought marine and marine took down pirates. He quickly loosed his pipe from his back, which he thought he had lost in the fight with himself, and looked around to see two marines charging him with sabres drawn. He looked at them blandly, the dark bags under his eyes pronouncing the dark blue in the centre.

As they both attacked at the same time, Nemo dodged to the right, allowing the blades to slice parallel to his body, and whacked the back of their blades to the floor with his pipe. Caught by surprise, the two marines stumbled and received a hard smash to the face for their clumsiness. Both of them had their heads whipped back before crumpling to the ground, unconscious.

_Where the hell are Lin and Mayo? _He thought as he started jogging towards the centre of the island for a better look. As he moved he would avoid fights in progress and every so often knocked out a marine for good measure. He even earned a slap on the back when he clobbered a marine who was about to kill a pirate with a great big bushy beard, which wobbled as he laughed. It wasn't an intentional save but Nemo nearly smiled despite himself, the pirate's laugh rumbling around the area.

"The Wierdo's with Beardo's!" the pirate roared with a laugh and a number of other pirates, also sporting wonderfully large beards, roared in reply and gaining new spirit in their fights.

Nemo continued on and come to the conclusion that the highest ranking marine at the resort was no more then a commodore, so he wasn't worried about Mayo, let alone Lin, and decided the best step would be to go to the ship and get it as ready as he could for Lin's and Mayo's arrival. So he turned until he caught sight of a number of sails, with Jolly Rogers flying above them, and set off in that direction, repeating his walk from earlier in response to the marines.

He jogged lightly, avoiding fights and the like and just as he was about to reach the edge of the island he caught sight of a figure leaping over a marine, slicing the back of his arms, and then slicing the back of his legs, leaving him to crumple to the ground; useless. Nemo knew he was now useless because he was pretty sure he had just seen the man have his tendons severed, which is painful and the best way to avoid a direct confrontation.

He started up again, and as he neared the figure, now cutting down another marine, he realised that it was Mayo, the white leather jacket she now wore had disguised her. Nemo changed direction and smashed his pipe into the side of a marine's head who was trying to sneak up on Mayo. As he got closer, Mayo whirled around, blades flying, and would have severed his legs had his reactions been less then speedy. He parried her blades with his own weapon, and stepped slowly to the side as he did so, catching her eye.

"Nemo!" She called, a smile breaking out on her face as she pulled back, leaving the swords to hang by her sides. "I thought I'd never find you! What happened?"

"I think we were caught up in some sort of Devil Fruit ability, maybe by the owner of this place since the whole building disappeared upon his defeat."

"He's beaten, by who?"

"Only a guess, but I'm pretty sure. Anyway…" he paused as he dodged the slash of a sword and jabbed his pipe hard in the marines face, causing him to stagger back clutching his nose. "Sorry. Anyway, let's get back to the ship, Lin should turn up there at some point."

"Do you think he is all right?"

"I don't think there is a need to worry about him."

Mayo sheathed her weapons and put her hands on her hips. "Do you remember what happened the last time you said that?"

Nemo didn't say anything; instead he started jogging towards the ships again. Mayo sighed and took off after him, easily catching up with her light run. It didn't take them long to reach the cliff edge, where they stood on the edge and looked down to see a large gathering of pirate ships all grouped together like they had been dumped there. Nemo nearly instantly saw their ship and pointed it out to Mayo.

"I'm sure this was much higher the last time I was here."

"It seems that whatever influences that we were under, it distorted the space around us. So I wouldn't bet on anything being the same way as it was before." Nemo paused, and fiddled with his pipe in his hand. "Well, in any case if this was any higher the job of getting to the ship would be much more difficult."

Mayo seemed to consider something before she unclipped the belt from her waist and handed it to Nemo wordlessly. "What are you doing?"

"Something crazy…" was all she said before she dashed forward a step and leaped off the cliff edge with a delicate swan dive.

"Mayo!" Nemo called and started forward, before stopping short and watching her descent with baited breath.

Her fall was graceful and she landed in the water, slipping between two ships as she did, with a gentle splash. There was a couple of seconds and then Nemo caught sight of her surfacing a couple of metres forward and she swam to the ship like a pro.

_Now what is she going to do, she can't move the ship by herself _Nemo thought, then was taken by surprise as the ship starting moving anyway. As it squeezed its way past some of the other ships, it pulled up by the edge and the top bar of the central mast stood about 3 feet below where Nemo stood. As he looked down to the deck he saw a number of men, pirates by their looks, running around scared, controlling the ship with small oars sticking out the side.

"Stand fast you scurvy dogs!" Mayo roared and Nemo looked on incredulously, before shaking his head and hopping down to the bar and balancing his way across to the centre where he could swing down onto the rigging ladders and clambered down to the deck. The other people on the ship did indeed turn out to be pirates, but it wasn't a crew of any sort; it was a rag tag gathering of people from the island, Nemo guessed, trying to escape the island and taking the first ship they could get on and had enough people to sail.

They were all standing on the deck, gathered in a loose circle, as Nemo dropped to the deck and walked across to Mayo, handing her swords back to her. "I was about to say that we could balance across different masts and make our way to our own ship."

Mayo didn't look any different as she clipped her back on and wiggled it to get it back in its proper place. "Oh well, I decided this way was much more fun. Although I don't know how long it is going to last, the adrenaline from my fights is starting to drain away."

"No worries, I am here now." Nemo said before plodding down the stairs and facing the crew. "Right then, we need to get this ship around that corner…" he pointed with his finger "…to go and pick up our Captain." No-one moved and Nemo's hand rested on his pipe. "Well, get to it." they all jumped as if they had been shouted at and started running below deck.

Mayo had appeared next to him and he turned to her. "Were they trying to take the ship?"

"Yeah, they tried to fight first but I threw one guy overboard so they got the idea that I wasn't messing around."

The ship started forward with small jerks before settling into a more smooth motion, and they headed out, following the cliff edge. It didn't take long; clearly the other pirates thought that either Mayo or Nemo would have their hides if they went any slower; which might have been true. So as they rounded the corner, they caught sight of a figure falling off the top of the cliff and splashing into the sea. Nemo and Mayo looked at each other; neither of them had missed the bright blue hair the figure had had.

Mayo started to unclip her belt again and put one step on the railing before Nemo grabbed her arm. "Wait." He said, simply.

"Wait, that was Lin and he didn't look like he was taking a swim!" Mayo said, more fiercely then she intended.

"I know but look, more marine ships are heading this way…" he pointed to a gathering of Marine ships that were close enough to the island for cannon fire "…and it looks like we've been caught in their sights."

"We can't just leave Lin, he hasn't come back up yet, I have to save him; unless you'd like to go for a swim!"

Nemo didn't say anything; she knew as well as him that his Devil Fruit gave him the ability of a hammer in the water. "At least wait until we see where these marines are heading."

"I'm not going to wait, Nemo! And I'm surprised you would even suggest it!" She stood fully on the railing and was about to dive off the side when a figure exploded out at the water towards her. She fell back as the figure flipped over her and landed on the deck between her and Nemo.

"You…" Nemo growled and his pipe was instantly in his hands, the red smoke creating a large hammer.

Mayo also stood up and was staring at the figure with disbelief, before she recovered and pulled her swords free of their scabbards, holding them in front of her. "You're meant to be dead!" she hissed.

"Dear little Mayo, I can't be killed so easily." Marshall was sopping wet and the heavy water flattened his hair somewhat making it seem much longer, despite it being ridiculously long in the first place. "And I'm not here to be stabbed again." He had his Rekishichizu in his hand and Ryuujin Toorima on his back, hanging from the leather bandoleer he had running from shoulder to waist in addition to his usual clothes.

"What are you doing here then?" Nemo said before Mayo could speak, he had a feeling her anger might make things worse for the both of them if she spoke first.

"To warn you, and to help you." Marshall said, his trademark grin plastered all over his face. He slowly lifted Rekishichizu, making Nemo and Mayo brace, but he moved it over his shoulder and hung it next to his other sword. Both swords were wider then he was, and he looked nearly comical with them on his back, but at this point he didn't look comical at all.

"Warn us? From what?"

"Not what, who. Low class marines aren't the only law enforcers on those ships…" he gestured to the newly arrived Marine ships "Clearly, whoever called it in asked for one…a Vice Admiral."

Both Nemo's and Mayo's eyes widened in surprise. "Then we need to get Lin out, Mayo let down the sail and Marshall give her a hand." Mayo looked disgusted while Marshall leapt down to the main deck and started moving around to loose the sail.

Nemo, moved below deck and gave the pirates 3 seconds to vacate the ship, they all scrambled for the exit and leapt over the side, some of them faster then the others when they caught sight of Marshall. It took less then a minute and the small wind had started to pull the ship along to the point where Lin had hit the water.

As they drew close Mayo once again, started to move to jump into the water but Marshall grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "No!" he said and Mayo pulled her arm free with a snort of hate.

"Don't you dare!" she said, her anger nearly getting the better of her.

"I'm trying to save your life, Mayo." Mayo was taken aback by the lack of 'Dear little Mayo' which he had always called her. "The Vice Admiral is in the water!"

"And what can he do that I can't"

Marshall looked at her but decided against listing the things a Vice Admiral could do that she couldn't "Everything, it's not just any Vice Admiral, it's Chiketta."

"Chiketta?"

"He's a fishman; he would tear you apart in the water and probably out of it." Mayo started to speak but was interrupted as a figure appeared on the surface of the water.

He was large and muscled, much more then any human could have been, and was coloured a dark purple with near black streaks of blue on his body like tattoo's. He had a small patch of hair on the top of his head with long pointed ears, his eyes were nothing but small slits of openings on his face. He wore the marine trousers with a large belt around his large waist, but the rest of him was naked; presumably for swimming.

He didn't say anything but he stared at Mayo for a minute before swinging his gaze to Marshall, and finally to Nemo. Then he sunk suddenly and a few seconds later appeared a few feet away, and unconscious Lin in his arms. Mayo started forward but Marshall grabbed her arm to prevent her leaping over the side, and Nemo growled lightly.

"I am arresting 'Devil Leg' Lin for the act of piracy against the Marines and the World Government. He will be placed in a cell for holding while his sentence is decided before being put to death, as is the punishment for being a pirate." Chiketta said, his voice deep and rumbling, but loud and clear.

"Give him…" Mayo started but Chiketta glared at her and she fell to silence, feeling the power of the Vice Admiral before her.

"Just count yourselves lucky that he is the Captain and I can only carry one person safely." He said before slipping back into the ocean so that only his head, and Lin's, was above the water. "However, if you haven't gone by the time I have chained Lin, I will arrest you." Then he sped of with the speed only a fishman could achieve in the water.

"What are we going to do, Nemo?" Mayo asked, sliding to her knees.

"Simple, we'll break him out."

"But where will they take him?"

Marshall stepped forward with his smile even wider on his face. "That's an easy question to answer; they'll take him to the 'The Spider', on Supaida Island!"

_A/N: Oh shite-monkey's Lin's been captured by the marines! However, he seems to be being taken to the destination he was hoping for anyway, isn't that lucky. :) But hey, keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter, where a few new characters make some interesting appearances._


	28. The Immortal Vandred

_A/N: Welcome, dear readers, to a new arc! I had a total panic recently where I thought I'd lost all my story info, past, present & Future! Nearly had a heart attack but luckily I managed to save it all…lu~cky! Also I must thank you for reading this and Wooo for 100 reviews! Yay! Anyway, read on!_

**Vandred the Immortal**

The pain, to him, felt like a dull thudding, like someone was hitting his chest with the side of a clenched fist. It was strong and steady, like the beating his heart, and with each thud, the pain lessened somewhat. Other then the pain though, he wasn't aware of any other feelings; he couldn't see anything, couldn't smell of hear something, and the feeling of touch was so distorted that he wasn't sure he was lying on something solid at all, like he was floating in the air.

This feeling seemed to last an age, a lifetime, but it did come to an end; like emerging from underwater, he felt himself break the surface from death and emerged into life again. Suddenly it was no longer a dull thudding, it was a tearing, a ripping, like someone had jabbed a steak knife into his chest and decided jiggling it about was a good idea. He screamed hard, long and hard, but nothing changed; pain wracked his body, spread from his chest to his hands, to his feet, until his entire being was taken up with nothing but the pain. He thought this was it; he had tried to break free and was taking a final fall to the pits of death.

"Oh, shut up!"

The pain stopped as suddenly as it had started, the voice breaking through the illusion and bringing him back to the darkness. Except this darkness wasn't the black of death, it was the normal kind of darkness he was familiar with. His senses had returned, he could feel hard stone beneath his shoulders, smell the stench of sweat and blood, and all he heard was his own rasping breathing and the sniffles of another person close by. Slowly, he opened his eyes and, although it was still dark, he could see the stone roof above him.

Lin kept staring at the ceiling while he tested his body parts, wiggling his fingers and toes, taking deep breaths and holding them in before exhaling with controlled power. Eventually he decided that lying on his back isn't going to get him anywhere and started to lift his body to sit up. Before he got more then half way, a man appeared and leant a gentle hand on his chest, pushing him back to the stone.

"Well pull my finger and make me fart, it worked." He said, raising his other hand to brush the long hair out of his eyes. "I wouldn't move…" he was now looking at Lin with concern and maybe a little bit of wonder "…it's a wonder you weren't cleaved in half with the depth of the wound you received. But its fine, the surgeon here is fantastically amazing and he saved your life, with much grumbling I'll admit, but then again he is always grumbling so there was nothing personal there."

"Who are you?" Lin managed, he discovered his throat was as dry as a desert and talking made a painful lurch spread across his chest.

The man smiled, his teeth black and stained "I am known by many, many names, some good, some bad, some long, some short, but you…you may call me Vandred."

Lin started to sit up again and Vandred moved to push him down again but the look he received made him leave it and get up, moving across the room to sit on a stony bed. Now Lin was up he took a look around the room, not that there was much to see; the walls, roof and floor were all dark grey stone, their beds were just blocks of stone with thin mattress' on them and there was a basin looking block against the back wall that Lin presumed to be the toilet.

"Prison…" Lin muttered as he turned his head to look at the front wall, which was a criss-crossing of iron bars, bolted with large, thick bolts.

"Prison indeed, in 'The Spider' no less, isn't that just grand?"

"The Spider? On Supaida Island?"

"The very same."

Lin looked down at his hands and tried to hide the smile which was started to spread to his face. His plan from the very beginning was to get into 'The Spider' and although this wasn't the way he was planning he was now where he wanted to be, despite missing his crew.

"My friends!" he suddenly called, grasping his chest as the pain exploded again.

"Likely dead, or if you're lucky they are in here somewhere."

"No…I have to hope for the best, I'm sure they're here somewhere, if they were captured at all."

"Oh, I've no doubt they were, or they were killed of course, you came from California Island, right?" Vandred continued talking, not expecting a reply and not getting one. "Everyone on that island was either captured or killed, they sent Vice Admiral Chiketta there and he is a ruthless mother fu…"

"Chiketta?" Lin interrupted not really concentrating on what Vandred was saying. "Who the hell is Chiketta?"

"I thought you had the look that you were older then you look, but if you don't know who Chiketta is; you've either been living in a hole, or you're as young as a new born babe."

"Excuse me?" his voice was low but resonated with anger.

"I apologise, I did not mean to offend." Vandred gestured with his hands that his apology was sincere "Chiketta is a fishman…" he didn't pause at Lin's surprised face "…the only fishman in all of the marines. He holds the rank of Vice Admiral…" Another surprised face was made by Lin "…and is ruthless in his capturing of criminals, mostly pirates, but does tend to leave the lower ranks alone. If he captures the Captain he has a bad habit of giving the crew a chance to leave them."

"What crew, what _real _crew, would leave their Captain to the marines!" Lin exclaimed, anger once again seeping into his voice.

"There are some, it seems, that do not hold a bond as strong as you."

"Then there are some that deserve to die." It came out as more of a growl then a sentence but Vandred got the idea and decided that changing the subject would probably be the best course of action for the moment.

"You are a pirate then?"

Lin considered his answer before speaking, gazing at the white bandage that covered his chest. "I am, I sail to gather a crew and head to the New World."

"Ahh, so you are a Captain." It was as statement "Then there may be a chance your crew evaded capture if it was Chiketta who caught you." He paused before leaning back and resting his head on the wall, his short black hair pushed out of shape. "But you speak of the New World without first mentioning the Grand Line, I take it you don't intend to discover a way to cross the Red Mountain during your travels."

Lin smiled, he too leaning back on the wall and bringing his legs up to cross beneath him; bringing an ache to his chest again. "There is not a fool in the world, I think. No, I intend to traverse the Grand Line, once I have a dandy crew that I think will survive it. The two I have at the moment are a good start."

"I'm impressed; you speak as though you have been to the Grand Line already."

"And beyond…" Lin muttered, causing Vandred to lean forward to listen. "Only the stories I hear, Vandred, only the stories I hear about."

"Indeed, it is a dangerous place to go without the proper preparation. It is also a beautiful place together should you follow the right path."

"Now it is you who speak as though you have been there."

"I have, I have…The west blue is where I was born and I returned no less then a week ago and I've been here ever since."

"I'm impressed, are you a pirate?"

"Good heavens no…" he paused at the look on Lin's face "Not that there is anything wrong with being a pirate. No, I am in here because I stopped a Marine Commodore from bullying a poor town on an even poorer island. I may have gotten a bit mad it would seem."

Lin smiled again. "Sounds fun, what is your sentence?

"Eternity…"

Lin looked at him with a stare. "Eternity? You got a life sentence?"

"I am cursed…cursed by the devil for the sins I have committed."

"Cursed? In what way…"

"You may not believe this, or you may, but I was stupid enough to consume one of the cursed fruits, or more commonly known as a Devil Fruit."

Lin suddenly glanced around, seemingly looking at every bit of Vandred. "I don't see any sea-stone cuffs, so why don't you break out of this place, escape back into the Grand Line?"

"Alas, the curse I have received is truly a curse and not a gift of any sort." He suddenly stood up and moved across to the barred entrance, leaning against it to look down what Lin presumed to be a corridor. "Guard, Guard!" A marine stepped slowly into view, dressed immaculately with a rifle resting on his shoulder.

"What is it, Vandred" his voice was level and showed no emotion.

"My new roommate requires a demonstration of my curse, if you would please?"

The guard smiled before slowly lowering his rifle and pointed it towards Vandred, and before the pirate Captain could do anything in reaction, Vandred's head exploded in a shower of blood and bone, which splattered against the back wall and the floor. The body balanced for a second before it fell forward on the bars and bounced down to the floor where it crumpled in a way only a body consumed by death could do.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Lin roared and jumped to his feet, a strange aura surrounding his body so powerful that the marine stepped back a couple of steps before gathering his courage to speak.

"Watch…" was all he managed and pointed to Vandred's body.

Lin turned around, his anger still visible, and was brought to stunned peace as the air where Vandred's head should connect to his neck shimmered and, seemingly out of nowhere, a new head appeared. It was like a ghostly image for a second before fading into a solid, and weaving itself into the severed neck. It took less then a minute and then Vandred stood up, brushing dust from the orange suit he wore.

"The fruit I have eaten…" he started, moving back to his bed. "…curses me with immortal life, in every sense of the word. I can survive any injury, regain lost limbs, and can never die of old age. Immortality is my curse."

Lin was still staring at him with astonishment; he had never seen a fruit of such power, to bring immortality to a person, much less the way in which the head returned. He slowly settled himself back to his bed and slumped into, only now starting to feel the pain welling up because of his wound.

"That…that is amazing…"

"Call it as you will, but for me it is a curse…I have lived for over a hundred years already…" Lin nearly gasped in surprise at that one "…but look not a day older then 25. I have watched my family die, my friends die, and anyone else I was a fool to care about. It is a curse, a curse the devil himself has placed upon me."

Lin had a sad look on his face "Sincerely, I apologise for my brashness." Vandred nodded his thanks. "It is a shame you have only been here a week, I need some information on the other inmates."

"Information on other inmates, what could you possibly want to know about them; some of them are down right nasty."

"Not all of them, just one in particular…a swordsman." He whispered the last word as a strange look appeared in his eyes.

"I'm afraid I've not been here long enough to help you, as much as I desire. Maybe you could ask one of the marines here?"

"I don't think so, I'll find a way, and perhaps during meal times…how does that work here?"

"I presume your suspicions are correct, we all eat in one place, except each leg eats separately, so if the one you seek is held in another leg it will be hard to find him."

"I have my ways." Lin smiled like never before, slightly creepily. Before a door banged open somewhere and the sounds of many footsteps clattered on the floor.

8 Marines, led by a Commodore, came into view and formed up in a semi circle around the crossed bars in front of Lin and Vandred. "'Devil Leg' Lin, the Vice Admiral wishes to see you…" the Commodore said and Lin raised an eyebrow.

_A/N: What does Chiketta want with Lin? Who is this mysterious swordsman that Lin seeks? Enter other question you have here? :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter or at least I hope you were intrigued by it! Keep eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way!_


	29. The Marine and the Surgeon

_A/N: Thanking you for you reviews! Also, I actually posted this when I planned; shock, horror! Anywho, nothing else to say so read on!_

**The Marine and the Surgeon**

Lin had gone with the marines and had ended up in a large office sitting in a hard wooden chair, heavy chains wrapped around his ankles and bolted to the floor, while the 9 marines who escorted him stood in a semi circle behind him and pointed their rifles in his direction. Interestingly, they had left his hands unbound and they currently rested in his lap.

In front of Lin was a large, heavy looking, wooden desk with nothing except a Den Den Mushi resting on it; behind that was a chair big enough for a whale. Then a door to the far right of the room opened and Lin discovered why the chair was so large, to hold the sheer massiveness of Vice Admiral Chiketta. He was taller then Lin by about half of him above and he was wider by about 4 of him, Lin was surprised he even fit through the door he had entered through.

The deep purple scaly hide, flashed with tattoo like blue streaks, seemed to ripple as he sat down. He was nearly pure muscle, nothing like the other large fishmen who tended to be more in the 'fat' category. He still wore his marine trousers, but now he had draped a marine coat over his shoulders like a cape, and it dangled to the ground as he took a seat in the giant chair. He squirmed a bit, presumably to get comfortable, and then settle with one elbow resting on the arm rest with his chin resting in the large webbed hand and his other held loosely on the opposite side.

"Well…" he said, his low voice thundering despite the gentle speech. Lin didn't give a reply he kept his eyes locked on the Fishman's. "'Devil Leg' Lin…" He paused again as if contemplating something. "Your bounty is a measly 20 million, nothing compared to some of the other pirates I picked up on the island."

Lin sniffed as though Chiketta had insulted him but remained silent. The two of them kept staring at each other and as the contest continued Lin very slowly raised a hand, pointed a finger and began to pick his nose. It was at it for about a minute and then he pulled free a large green blob, looked at it for a second, and then slowly flicked it away, watching it arc and land on the weaved carpet on the floor. None of the marines moved and Chiketta did not comment, his own bland grey eyes staring at nothing but Lin.

"Do you know what I'm interested in…?" Lin suddenly said, started to lean forward and then stopping when he realised the chains on his ankles would have him sprawled face-first on the floor. "Why a man, who committed a crime worth maybe a serious thrashing, has been condemned to life in a cell." He leant back again and flexed his fingers before spreading them on his knees.

"Vandred is not the only one…all those cursed by the devil should die. But as I cannot kill innocents in the eyes of the law I can still pass judgement on any level below it, and such I plan to keep them out of the world and locked in a cell for the rest of their lives."

A flash of anger appeared in Lin's eyes but it disappeared quickly and Chiketta didn't seem to see it as no reaction could be seen from him. "I see…a bit prejudice for a Fishman don't you think?"

"I see no prejudice. Just like you would quarantine a person dying of the plague, these people are cursed and should be separated from the general populace." He was serious one second and then a chuckle escape between his thin lips. "But we are not here to talk about that, we are here to decide what sentence to give you. Everyone else captured on California Island has been given prison sentences, here in 'The Spider', as appropriate to their bounties and one is even to be handed over to the World Government; there is a Shichibukai on their way to pick him up now."

Lin didn't need to look around to see the shock of the marines behind him; clearly they had not expected a Shichibukai to be the escort. But Lin wasn't too impressed; there were a lot of pirates, rookie and veteran, worth the trouble of the current generation of Shichibukai. There were only two of the seven that Lin was truly impressed by and he didn't expect to see them for a long while yet.

"What is there to discuss then? I have a bounty for 20 million and I'm willing to be locked up for the amount of time that bounty gives me, so what's the trouble?" Lin said, giving a tiny tug on the chains around his legs as a test, which went unnoticed.

"The problem is that I believe you are also cursed but I have yet to gain definitive evidence to suggest as much." Lin started to speak but the Fishman raised his hand, showing off the thick muscle on his arm, and Lin stopped. "I saw you fall off the cliff, I don't know why but I can guess it was because of the wound you suffered to your chest." Lin touched the bandages he was wearing, which were turning slightly pink as his wound had broken open slightly.

"I saw you were still conscious as you flipped your body in the air as you entered the water, but then when I jumped into the water I saw you fail to struggle in any way."

"Don't you know that hitting water from that height is like hitting steel? I was knocked unconscious when I hit the water; I think waking up here is proof enough of that."

"You were knocked unconscious? So you claim, but I saw your eyes open in panic a second before I arrived, I saw them moving around as if panicking."

At this word Lin's look turned mad and he clenched one hand. "I. Never. Panic." He said through clenched teeth. Chiketta's facial expression didn't change, although Lin wasn't sure if it could more then a raised eyebrow, but Lin got the impression he was being laughed at. "And how could you prove such a thing, I was out of it while you brought me here."

"Oh you fell unconscious, it was just later then you wished us to believe. But it doesn't matter what proof I do or do not have at the moment, after the day is done you will wish that you had told me immediately that you were cursed."

Before Lin could say anything a door slammed open, not the one Chiketta had come through but a door behind where Lin sat. He heard the marines turn in surprise, their weapons cocking as they moved, before a voice shouted out and they all made a noise of surprise.

"How dare you!" the voice said as it stomped towards Lin. "I said I was to be told immediately if any blood started seeping through the bandages, fool!" A figure appeared out of the corner of Lin's eyes but before he could get a good look at him he had crouched down in front of him and Lin's view was obscured by an aged brown leather cowboy hat.

"Don't you dare speak to a Vice Admiral in such a way; remember your place, Surgeon!" the voice belonged to the Commodore.

"This man is my patient and you may well kill him!" The surgeon looked up and Lin's heart nearly stopped there and then, but if he made any outward reaction, the surgeon did not react. "Look, he's already going into shock!" his hand reached up and pressed against the centre of his collar bone and he held it there, his fingers stretching up around his neck. It took a minute to realise what he was doing but Lin was too late to react as the blood was cut off from his brain.

Dots appeared in his eyes and Lin managed a "Fuck…you…" before drifting off into unconsciousness once again.

"Take this man immediately to my surgery and make it fast!" the surgeon snapped and the marines jumped to action, two of them picking Lin up the arms as a third undid the chains around his legs. As they came free the third one grabbed the legs and lifted them up as the three marines jogged out of the room, the remaining marines going after them.

The surgeon started to exit but Chiketta made a noise that made him turn around quickly. "Yes, I do not have long to save his life."

"The commodore was right; do not forget you place…Dragon Fist." The surgeon's eyes narrowed at that old name. "You are lucky I wish to investigate him further, heal him and then as soon as you say he is ready, I shall continue my investigation."

"Dragon Fist is a dangerous name, Chiketta." The surgeon said as he turned to exit through the door. "You best keep it to yourself." Was all he said before closing the door gently behind him.

He took off down the corridor, ignoring the marines cleaning or aimlessly walking, and took a few turns before coming to a pair of double doors with a brass plate on that read 'Head Surgeon' which indicated his private operation room when he needed to work on his own and in private, and depending on who he was working on. He didn't slow down and burst into the room to see the marines placing Lin gently on the raised bed that was positioned in the centre room.

"Now get out!" his voice was firm and, although he had no official standing within the marines, they all snapped a salute and exited quickly; except the commodore.

"I know that the Vice Admiral favours your skills with the tools, but do not think that it gives you any authority over my men." The commodore was taller then the man he was trying to intimidate and used his height to his advantage, moving in close and glaring down his nose.

The surgeon looked up with a snarl on his lips as he spoke. "I couldn't give a rat's arse about your men, or you! Now get out of here before I forcefully remove you myself."

The Commodore looked as if he was about to argue when he gave a look that showed he was remembering the last time someone had refused to leave the Surgeon's room and was thrown out of a window while the surgeon was still working on a patient. "I won't forget this!" the marine said through clenched teeth before stalking out and slamming the door shut.

Lin was still unconscious, lying on his back on the bed, his hands resting loosely by his sides. Once again his legs had been bound, this time by leather straps, but the surgeon moved across and undid them before checking the wound on his patient's chest. He removed the cloth that covered it, throwing it into a bin in the corner of the room. His long slender fingers traced the wound and the stitches he had put into it earlier.

It was a deep gouge, edges pulled together by the thread, that ran about 13 inches long, starting at the collar bone and going down at a slight angle to the right. It had sliced through the muscle, cracking a number of ribs as it went, and ended just below the sternum where it had been deep enough for someone to place their little finger up to the knuckle in it with no trouble at all. It had seemed to stop bleeding now, at least for the moment, so the surgeon quickly applied new bandages, lifting Lin's heavy body with one hand with no trouble at all.

After he had finished he moved slowly across the room and filled in the record he kept of any procedures he did in this room, for his own private consultation if he needed it. When he finished he swivelled round on the stall he was sitting on and leant back on the desk, his elbows propped up and his hands dangling to the floor.

He had a look of interest, confusion and anger on his face all at the same time and if someone had walked into the room at that very moment they would not have even tried to bother him. He was staring at Lin, examining every inch of him, not that he hadn't already, and focused on the hair and scars on his face. He stood up suddenly and walked across to Lin, before laying a hand on the crisscrossing of scars on his face.

"Why…" he muttered "Why are you still alive? Why did you do this? Why did you leave us?" his questions remained unanswered by the unconscious Lin, but he was planning to get some when his charge woke up.

_A/N: Ooo, this 'Surgeon' seems to know something about Lin! Who could he possibly be and what is his connection with our lovable pirate Captain with a temper? Keep eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading you way and things will be revealed._


	30. An Old Friend Who Shouldn't Be

_A/N: Wow, sorry for the uber long delay. I bought Deus Ex Human Revolution on a whim and it turned out to be awesome and now I've just brought Driver San Francisco, which has also turned out to be awesome. Which brings to mind that around October/November time my chapters will be erratic at best because I'll have Batman Arkham Asylum, Assassin's Creed Revalations and Elder Scrolls Skyrim to play…that's a lot! On another note, this one is an exciting chapter!_

**An Old Friend Who Shouldn't Be and an Anger Beyond Measure**

For a second time in a single day, Lin brought himself back to consciousness with an aching pain in his chest. However, it was much less painful then the first time he had woken up and as such he was able to open his eyes much quicker this time. He opened them, and then closed them just as quickly as he stared into a bright light which nearly blinded him. He waited a couple of seconds and then opened his eyes slowly this time, to allow for them to adjust to the harsh light.

It was only then that he realised that the bright light was focused from a lamp above the bed he lay on and for a brief second he thought he was being interrogated. But then he looked around and realised he was in a doctors quarters, if the equipment was anything to go by. He caught sight of bloodied tools, and some clean as a whistle, the surfaces were a dark grey charcoal colour and the cupboards were all a gleaming white. Then his eyes reached the man sitting near the corner, his elbows leant on the side he was leaning on.

He wore an aged brown coloured cowboy hat over a dark green bandana, white hair spilled out of the back and touching his shoulders, a beard adjourned his chin to match and his right eye was a dark gray while the other was milky with apparent blindness. He wore many necklaces, most of which hung to his chest, and a baggy white top which was drawn tight at the cuffs and many rings on his fingers. He had two sashes around his waist, one coloured dark blue, resting over a turquoise sash with and two pistols sticking out of it. Dark brown trousers tied at the ankle, hung above Japanese clogs, leaving his toes free.

For a minute, or maybe 10, Lin couldn't tell, Lin stared at the man. His face was unreadable but he was clearly thinking carefully about what he was about to say. "Who are…?" He didn't get to complete his sentence as the man interrupted him.

"There is no need; I recognise you…as unbelievable as it is."

"What?"

"You can change your clothes, you can change your hair, and you can even carve scars into your face. But there is one thing you can never change…your eyes. For anyone that knew you closely your eyes give the game away."

"No…this can't be right. I must still be caught in Rascal's illusion…this can't be real."

"Don't be a fool!" Lin jumped as a palm was slapped against the work top. "If anyone has a right to say thing's cannot be real, it is me god damn it! You should be dead! Dead as dead can be…" he had shouted the last few words but seemed to calm himself quickly. "How did this come to be?"

Lin sat up and brought his hands to his face, heaving his shoulders as though shedding tears of distraught although his face stayed dry. "NO!" he suddenly roared. "I saw you…he showed me…I heard it…there is no way….it was real! This isn't real! This can't be real" he continued muttering and the one called Dragon Fist moved forward to place his hand on his shoulder. "NO!" this roar was even louder then the first and as he did so the bed below him exploded causing the man to pull back.

"Calm yourself!"

"NO! I will not fall for your petty tricks Rascal! You bring the Dragon Fist before me but you know not what he is!" The aura around his body was definitive, yet invisible, and everything that didn't belong in the space, dirt, dust and the like was blown away while a look of true thunderous rage spread on his face. "I'll show you, Rascal, I'll show you that which you wish to see." It was muttered and quiet but the surgeon heard enough to guess what was about to happen.

He gently slipped of the stool and spread his feet wide on the floor, for support, before reaching up and removing his weathered hat and placing it on the side behind him; then he raised his hands as fists and an invisible aura of his own sprang up around him. "Don't do this…don't make me hurt you."

Lin did nothing except snarl before dashing forward. His speed was like nothing he had shown before, he was next to his opponent in less time then it took to lower your eyelids to blink. His body was twisted and his leg was slicing through the air with an aim to smash into the side of the surgeons head. However, his foot clashed with something before it reached its target and the whole room shook with the energy.

The surgeon had raised a forearm to block the kick and the two forces met about a foot apart, something invisible between the two limbs. His eyes were locked on Lin's and vice versa and neither one moved an inch under the pressure. A light crack echoed around the room and splinters of the floor sprang up as the surgeon was pushed into the floor with the sheer power of the attack. Then, in a flash, the surgeon's arm snaked around the leg, gripping it behind the knee, while he stepped forward and punched Lin in the chest, spinning him at the same time to smash him into the wall.

There was no invisible wall to protect Lin this time and the whole wall splintered like glass by a rock, the cracks weaving their way into the ceiling and floor; all the tools that had been neatly arranged on the table tops now lay scattered across the floor. Lin grunted quietly and his free leg appeared at the surgeon's stomach before pushing him back with enough force that he was forced to let go and he smashed into the opposite wall, adding more cracks to the room.

"Bloody fool." Dragon Fist muttered before the door opened and the Commodore from earlier entered.

"What is going on in…." he didn't finish as Lin slammed his foot into the floor and it collapsed in on itself like a sinkhole.

The commodore screamed as he was tipped forward, turning and trying to grab something to stop his fall but grabbing nothing but air, and Dragon Fist cursed as he leaped into the air and punched his hand into the ceiling, using it to gain a handhold and prevent himself from copying the Commodore's fate. Then in a flash, Lin was in front of him upside down and seemingly walking on the ceiling while a foot flew forward to attack.

Dragon Fist used his spare hand and caught the leg at the shin, the same energy between them but only a few millimetres this time. "Nearly got me there…" He muttered before smashing his foot into the side of Lin's head. Despite his foot not actually making contact Lin was forced to spin and as his grip left the roof he began to fall.

Dragon Fist let go at the same time and when they had fallen a few feet he spun in midair and dug the two prongs of his clogs into Lin's stomach. Lin body rocketed backwards and hit the wall again, except this time it shattered and he was thrown backwards through it. Dragon Fist twisted, catching his hat before it disappeared down the hole, and pushed off a beam to follow Lin into the next room across.

Lin hadn't tumbled, hadn't fallen, and hadn't reacted in any way to being kicked through a wall. Instead, all that happened was he planted his feet on the floor and slid a couple of feet before coming to a complete stop. Dragon Fist landed gently in front of him, the invisible aura strong around his body.

"Don't be a bloody fool…" He growled, flexing his fingers and the muscles in his arms. "You're going to draw the whole bloody marines down on you if you aren't careful."

Whatever he said fell on deaf ears though as Lin's only response was to growl and then crouch so that one leg was tucked under him and the other was straitened out in front. His eyes stared at Dragon Fist with anger and then his skin started to change, his clothes started to change; now no longer objects of colour, Lin looked like he was made of glass, a statuette for someone to admire. Except that the anger in his eyes and face was all too real, all too lively. Dragon Fist's eyes widened slightly in recognition.

"Don't…if you took so much time to hide yourself; don't waste all that effort by doing this."

"**Diamante** Caverna…" Lin's voice was more of a growl but Dragon Fist understood what was about to happen next and acted accordingly.

As Lin lifted himself up onto the straightened leg and flipped over so his leg swung through the air like an axe, Dragon Fist ducked down and punched the floor, creating a hole big enough for him to drop through. He dropped down, and not a moment too soon as Lin's foot hit the ground and something exploded outwards towards Dragon Fist's previous position.

The glassy substance that had seemed to cover Lin now fired forward, forming into a jagged pillar of spikes, before it expanded until it covered the entirety of the room in front of Lin, including the hole he had come through himself. Lin stood up slowly and the substance slid off him like water, until it had gone all together and he stood there with his invisible aura floating around him.

"Dragon Fist!" it was not the call of a name but the call of an attack and Lin had no time to react as the floor exploded beneath his feet.

He couldn't see what it was that attacked him but it tore the room to shreds, reducing it to rubble, as well as smashing the substance Lin had created into a million pieces and throwing it into the sky; Lin going along with it. Then the named Dragon Fist appeared in front of him, both of them heading into the sky.

"Skyward Fall." He said and flipped forward with a kick. Lin didn't react as he was more then a legs length away from Dragon Fist but he suddenly felt the pressure above him and realised the attack had been invisible to his eyes. He roared in anger as it crashed into him from above and sent him hurtling back towards the ground like a meteor.

As he the ground rushed up to slam into his body, once again he transformed into the glassy substance, but this time instead of an attack it spread off him and cocooned him in a sphere of the stuff. It was translucent and as such Lin became a blur within its walls as it smashed into the ground, created a crater worthy of any meteor. Even before the dust had settled, the courtyard he had crashed into was full to the brim with marines pointed their weapons at him. The sphere receded and Lin stood there, the sun glinting off of his reflective body.

"No one do anything!" Dragon fist dropped out of the sky and landed gracefully in front of Lin, like he had flown down. "Get any nearer and you are dead; he's not in his right mind at the moment."

With the appearance of Dragon Fist, Lin's attention had immediately returned to him, his eyes boring holes in his head. One marine stepped forward, intent on firing, but before he could a large spike of the substance sprang out of the ground and pierced him through the chest; the spike was nearly as wide as he was and he was dead in an instant. The other marines even backed off now, but didn't lower their weapons as Dragon Fist approached the crazed pirate captain.

"You remember me, you know I'm no trick…An illusion could copy my skills, this is true, but not my strength, not my power; you know this." He spoke quietly, loud enough for Lin to hear but quiet enough that the marines only heard a murmur. "Do you want me to say your name, do you remember it? Do you want me to remind you?"

Lin's eyes suddenly changed, from anger to sadness, to sorrow and he sunk to his knees; releasing his invisible aura as well as returning his skin to its normal consistency. He stared at Dragon Fist and then pitched forward, his head in his hands as tears welled from his eyes.

Dragon Fist approached him warily before crouching down beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder, nothing exploded this time, with a sombre face. "I'm sorry…" Lin said, his voice cracking with the effort "I know you, it was fake, it was false, he tricked me…I'm sorry."

"So you do remember…tell me your name."

"Doctor…help me, help me like you used to. Help me like the time you stopped me from killing my father, help me, Doctor Umbra."

"I plan to, I plan to…Kai."

He pulled Lin in close and wrapped his arms around him, like a father would to a son in need. But their tender moment was broken as Chiketta appeared at the side of the crater and jumped down, throwing his coat to the side as he did.

"He is a one with the devil, I knew it. But not only that, he is 'Diamond Leg', this is unforgivable!"

_A/N: Holy camollies! Doctor Umbra? Kai? Could Lin really be…? Do you even remember the names? Hope you enjoyed the chapter because I had great fun writing it! Keep eyes and ears peeled next time, where Chiketta gets to eat some humble pie!_


	31. Lin's True self

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews people! Otherwise, nothing else for me to say so read on!_

**Things From The Past**

"Chiketta…" Doctor growled.

"I think his bounty is still in effect…in fact, I believe it was changed to 'Dead' a number of years ago." Chiketta said, his large neck wobbling as he spoke.

"I'll give you a moment to back the hell off, Chiketta…" Doctor replied standing up, leaving Lin to pull his knees to his chest and wrap his arms around them, like he was a young boy again.

Chiketta chuckled and flexed his webbed hands "I don't think so, I'm going to kill him and then I'm going to be promoted to Admiral and then I'm going to throw you in the deepest hole I can find and keep you there forever." His hands clenched into fists and he flexed his arms.

Doctor chuckled and shook himself off, loosening his owns muscles. "C'mon now Chiketta, you may be a Vice Admiral and all but you know who I am…you know how strong I am."

"You're an old man, an old man who thinks too much of his own strength."

"Old? Chiketta, I'm in my prime, stronger than I ever was before." As if to prove the point, he slammed his foot into the ground, with no apparent effort, and a number of cracks spread out, all of them pointing towards Chiketta.

"_Karl…_" he drawled the name out, speaking the name the marine base knew him as. "…if you take one more action towards me, I'm going to consider you to have resumed your piracy and obstructing the administration of justice. As such I will place you under arrest and throw you in the hole I was talking about."

Doctor chuckled to himself and then dashed forward, appearing in front of Chiketta and slamming his elbow into his stomach. The fishman doubled over and Doctor spun around to plant the same elbow in the back of his head. Chiketta fell forward and crashed into the dirt, kicking up a storm of dust around him, which stuck to his slick skin and made him seem speckled with brown.

The gathered marines all collectively gasped, before falling silent at the glare Chiketta fired at them. He pulled himself to his feet, giving up trying to brush the dust from his skin, and turned to face Doctor with a scowl.

"Now you've done it, now you've made an enemy of the Marines once again." He turned back to the gathered marines and raised his voice so they could hear him. "This man is not the man you think he is, he isn't called Karl, his real name is Doctor Umbra…" there was a smattering of gasps and even a muttered curse as a few of them recognised the name. "…he has now unaligned with the Marines. Capture him!" he roared the last word and the marines all started pilling in towards Doctor.

However, before any of them were close enough to strike, or to be struck, a loud crash sounded and it felt like an earthquake had struck. All the marines, including Chiketta, looked around wildly, trying to guess what had happened.

"What the hell is going on here?" A voice cried out and a pathway opened up, creating a corridor, to allow 3 figures to walk through. "I get sent here to escort a dangerous prisoner to Impel Down and I find a commotion in the courtyard?"

Chiketta stepped forward and drew himself to his considerable full height. "What are you doing here? I asked specifically for a Shichibukai, not some puny scientist who has no authority over Marines!"

The figure sneered before resting the huge broad bladed axed on his shoulder "Oh yeah? I'm a fully fledged Marine now, and I'm equivalent to a Vice-Admiral! So I ask again, what the hell is going on here?" Then as Chiketta opened his mouth to protest again, the man raised his hand to silence him before pulling a letter out of his pocket, and sending it flying towards Chiketta.

Chiketta caught it and unfolded the thick paper, quickly reading the text with a scowl on his face. "…Sentomarou hereby has the authority and standing of a Vice-Admiral, under the combined command of Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Aokiji, with the support of Fleet Admiral Kuzan." Chiketta stared at the letter before folding in again and tucking it into his trouser waist. "Well, I would seem you speak the truth but I don't need you help, nor the help of your Kuma wannabe's!"

Stood behind Sentomarou were two identical figures, stood like statues, their eyes staring out at nothing at all. They were also identical to the famed Shichibukai 'The Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma, down to the skinny legs and huge torso area. They were stood shoulder to shoulder and together gave a powerful aura of power and authority.

"I don't care; now tell me, what is happening?" Sentomarou said, levelling his gaze on Chiketta.

"Fine!" Chiketta said, nearly throwing his hands in the air as he spoke. "I've found 'Diamond Leg' and this here is 'Dragon Fist" he gestured at the relevant people as he spoke.

Sentomarou looked sceptical and ushered the Kuma clone on his right forward. "PX-3, identify pirates."

The mechanical copy dropped his head and the glassy eyes looked onto Doctor as a small red circle flashed on and off. "Pirate identified; Doctor 'Dragon Fist' Umbra, previous bounty 210 million…" the gathered marines now physically moved backwards as the confirmation of Doctor's true name was given. The only reaction Doctor gave was a long sigh.

"Now th…" Sentomarou was interrupted as the PX unit continued.

"…Current Bounty; 0. All previous crimes excused under combined order of Fleet Admiral Kuzan and 4 members of the Gorousei."

"What!" Sentomarou wheeled around to face the PX. "PX-3, any and all information on the removal of Doctor Umbra's bounty and crimes."

There was a pause as PX-3 attempted to recover the information Sentomarou wanted "…information classified; authorised access code from Fleet Admiral Kuzan required."

Sentomarou seethed for a minute but could think of no way of getting the information he wanted. "Ok then, now the blue haired one."

The PX unit's head turned slightly and the red circle started flashing again as it tried to identify Lin. "Pirate identified; K…identification re-evaluation. Pirate identified; 'Devil Leg' Lin, current bounty 20 million."

_Identification re-evaluation? That's never happened before. _Sentomarou thought as he turned back to face Chiketta. "Ok, so this is indeed the infamous Doctor but he has been excused from all previous crimes and the other one is only a mere 20 million. I don't understand what your problem is? Has Doctor committed a crime recently?"

"I don't care what powers you may temporarily possess, even a Vice Admiral can't countermand an order from another Vice Admiral! Captain!" a marine hesitantly stepped forward. "Take these two to a cell, in the 5th leg." The captain didn't hesitate and, calling down a couple of marines to help, led Doctor and Lin away, heading back to the building.

"Now Chiketta, where is this prisoner I am meant to be escorting?" Sentomarou said, shifting his axe on his shoulder.

It took longer then expected for Doctor and Lin to be thrown into a cell, the door locked behind them, and left very much alone. However, their belief that they were alone in the small cell was thrown away when a figure emerged from the shadows of the back wall and stepped forward, the little light showing the contrast between the orange suit he wore with his vivid pink hair.

"Well, well, look what we have hear, fresh meat!" he drawled as a second man appeared next to him, the shadow still covering his face.

"Ooo, I love fr…" he stopped mid-sentence as he and his partner fell forward with their eyes rolling into their heads.

"Well, we could do without that now." Doctor said, rubbing his hands together before turning to face Lin. Lin was now sat on one of the beds, his knees drawn to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, as if the marines had carried him to the cell like that.

Doctor didn't say anything else and slowly crossed the tiny space, setting himself down on the bed opposite, resting his elbows on his knees and his head on his hands. He didn't move anything else, his eyes locked onto Lin and stayed there, never deviating. Lin was also staring; but he had picked the point of air in between his bent knees.

Minutes passed like this, neither one saying anything, neither one moving their eyes to a different spot. The minutes passed into an hour before anything happened, Lin closed his eyes slowly and inhaled deeply. After a long minute he exhaled and let as much air out of him as he could in the one breath; before returning to normal breathing with his eyes closed.

"This is what you used to do all the time." Lin suddenly said, his voice close to cracking.

"Yeah, it was the only way to teach you to man up…" Doctor said, a small smile on his lips.

"What happened?"

Doctor knew what he was talking about without the need of Lin saying it; it was talking about all those years ago. "His crew…they were stronger then any of us could imagine, incredibly strong. I mean, we knew they were going to be strong; it was the New World after all, but they were so strong…" his eyes seemed to cloud over as he thought back 20 years to a battle long past.

"_Jigan!" Doctor called as he rushed out onto the deck to see his friend facing his opponent without moving. "What are you playing at?" He asked as Jigan slowly turned his head to face Doctor._

_His face was covered in cuts and he held a strange smile on his face while a dribble of blood fell from the corner of his mouth. It was then that Doctor realised the deck and warped in some manner and was piercing Jigan in a number of places, pinning him in place while keeping him in agony._

"_What the…"_

"_He…was to…too power…ful…" Jigan spluttered, more blood coming from his mouth._

"_Jigan!" Doctor roared as he stepped forward_

Back in the present the Doctor shook his head to rid it of the memory "Their powers were not extraordinary, they were just so well trained."

Lin let his legs drop and his feet touch the floor as he shimmied forward slightly to speak. "How many of us survived?" he asked slowly, thinking back to what Doctor had just said about his old navigator.

Doctor looked down to the floor his eyes slightly moist "In the battle itself, only Jigan died…" he paused in a silence meant for his old friend "…but in recent investigations I have also discovered that Mojaye is also dead, although he died of some strange disease."

"The rest?"

"We split up after the battle, when, well when we thought you were dead…" he looked at the surprised face of Lin and a sad smile hit his lips "…and decided the best course of action would be to leave each other alone. We could not be The Golden Age without our Captain."

"I don't understand this!" Lin said suddenly, close to shouting.

"Sorry…?"

"Resker, he showed me your bodies…" he paused to glance at Doctor. "…that's why I ran."

"You don't understand! You were gone, Resker had sent you to the depths and you never came back! With the injury he gave to you and the curse of the fruits, you had to be dead and none of us could stand up to Resker, not even together!" Doctor exclaimed "After Jigan's death and then your apparent one, we weren't in the right mind to fight! Especially Lisa…" he muttered at the end.

"Lisa…" Lin said, reminiscence in his eyes. "Now my goals have changed."

"What were they?"

"Since I thought you were dead, I was hunting down the crew of Resker, starting with the swordsman Razor fought." Doctor gave a start but Lin continued "but now I need to find the rest of The Golden Age!"

"Is that why you came here?"

"Yes, the swordsman is here."

Doctor growled and Lin looked up surprised. "Then I am not going to leave him alive. He must be hidden very well for me not to recognise him…"

"We must talk about your involvement with the marines…"

"There is nothing to discuss, I saved the Fleet Admirals life, he gave me a pardon as long as I aided the marines as a surgeon; I am no marine though."

"Ok, fair enough. Now all we have to do is to find this guy and split him in two!"

Doctor looked carefully across at Lin as he spoke again. "Nothing else to say about the others?"

"They are alive, that is enough. I've had my break down, now it's time to suit up and get it done! You taught me that." Lin said with a smile, nearly back to his old self.

"True I did, true I did." Doctor muttered before they started planning a way to investigate the other legs of 'The Spider'.

_A/N: Wooo, we discover Lin's real identity and his old crew are still alive! Now he's on the hunt of Resker's crew as well as bringing back his old one! Isn't that cool? Keep eyes and ears peeled for next chapter._


	32. The Plan

_A/N: Does anyone read Fairy Tail here? The last chapter was a punch in the face like surprise, it was mental! On another note, thanks for the reviews and read on for the excitement._

**The Plan**

"The plan?"

Lin and Doctor were sat on the same bed now, heads together and speaking in something more than a whisper but less then normal talking. They had been talking for most of an hour and Doctor had finally asked about the plan and what exactly it was going to entail. They had figured out pretty much what they had to do but it all relied upon confirming the fact that their target was within reach; within The Spider, whatever leg that may put them in.

"Well, now is as good a time as any to get this started. The first part of which needs accomplishing being that you need to get out of jail…" he paused as he placed a finger on his chin "…without breaking anything. We cannot cause any sort of ruckus or the plan isn't going to work at all."

"So I must befriend dear Chiketta again." Doctor mused running his own hand along his long beard, twisting it slightly at the end. "Which is going to prove difficult, at the very least."

"Not necessarily, we know Chiketta only checks the 8th leg personally and only then once every few weeks. Granted, he is sure to take more of an interest in you, and me I suppose, because of what happened. However, you first need to get on the good side of the leg Rear Admiral. Do you know him?"

"Her." Doctor replied simply "Not really, I think her name is Heller, Hellman, Healer? Something like that anyway. The question is will it be easier convincing a woman or a man?"

"More to the question, we'll have to find out what kind of attitude she has towards you...this is going to be more difficult then it should be." Suddenly Lin froze with a strange quizzical look on his face. He slowly raised his hands and turned then slowly seemingly looking at his wrists. Lin did this for a couple of seconds before running his hands around his wrists.

"What are you doing?"

"Why haven't I got sea stone hand cuffs on…?" he stood up and walked across to the caged door and ran his hand across it "…or sea stone bars fitted?"

"Good point, maybe…"

"Do you need them?" A female voice interrupted and the owner appeared in front of the door. "If you or the dear doctor had a devil fruit then the PX unit would have said so when he identified you, they're programmed to."

She was tall for a woman, as tall as most men, and from her exposed skin she had wiry muscles. She had dark hair, tied back into two long plaits running down her back, covered by a marine cap, and dark chocolate brown eyes. She wore a black vest and baggy trousers tucked into combat boots. A heavy belt with many pouches hung around her waist, dropping slightly on the right to give it a slant, and she wore a marine coat across her shoulders like a cape. "I am Rear Admiral Heller, Commander of Leg 5."

"So it was Heller." Doctor mused.

"Captain!" Heller called and a marine appeared at her side with a salute. "Release Dr Umbra and escort him to my study, I will be there shortly."

"Release? Vice-Admiral Chiketta stated his arrest was permanent until he could consult an Admiral about the situation."

"Chiketta knows that the Rear-Admirals have absolute control over the leg they command, not even his order can override my own while the Dr resides in my leg. The VA is here as simply a figure head, no matter what he says."

The Captain nodded curtly and stepped forward to unlock the door and usher Doctor out. Doctor looked across to Lin who nodded before he exited the cell and watched the door get locked behind him before disappearing down the hallway with the marine Captain in tow.

Heller kept her eyes on Lin until she heard the door at the end of the hallway clang shut. "Now then, on to you."

"And what do you want with me?" Lin replied, moving closer to the caged wall so he could rest one hand on the bars. "I'm not exactly a big catch of any sort."

"Which is what I want to discuss; according to the bounty, you are worth nothing more then 20m, that's 1st leg by a hair, not the 5th leg. I want to know why Chiketta decided to put you here except where you should belong."

"Hell should I know? Chiketta didn't exactly chat to me while he arrested me."

"The story has already spread about what you did, how you destroyed quite a large amount of the building, including Chiketta's office and the surgery, with some sort of glassy substance. But like I said before, the PX would have said if you possessed a fruit…so how did you do what you did."

"I've no idea what you are talking about; it sounds like a whole lot like people exaggerating a story. If you go up to said 'destroyed' area you'll find no such substance an even less destruction probably."

"I can see you don't want to talk at the moment so I'll go and talk to Dr Umbra now, however I will be back to continue our little discussion." Heller smiled before turning and stalking off down the corridor, leaving through the same door that Doctor and the Captain had left through beforehand.

Lin smiled to himself as she left. "Seems like it won't be as hard as I first thought, she seems like she doesn't want Doctor locked up in the first place. Now his sweet talking will do the rest and we can get on with the plan, I will _not _let the swordsman escape." With that he turned around and fell back onto one of the beds, one leg raised and one arm resting across his forehead. _I will kill him…_ he thought before drifting off to sleep.

Doctor followed the Captain down the winding corridors without much concern, he knew his own strength. He instead was focusing on thinking about why Heller would want to talk to him, and what she was talking to Lin about. _On second thoughts, it must be about what happened in Chiketta's office, which is obvious really. _He thought as the Captain came to a door and swung it open to reveal and cosy office space which belonged to Heller.

It had a simple wooden desk at the back of the room, positioned so the occupant would have their back to the door while they worked, which was strange for a marine officer. The left hand wall was plastered with wanted posters, some with red crosses through them, all the bounties ranging between 200 million and 300 million beri; Doctor was surprised there was so many around. On closer inspection though the dates went back to nearly 30 years gone, which made sense why there was so many. The right hand wall had a table running its entire length with what seemed to be fragments of rocks in varying degrees of analysis.

The Captain ushered Doctor in and gestured to a seat in front of the rock table, which the Dr sat at, and then stood by the door with his arms held behind his back, staring at Doctor with no expression. "Rear-Admiral Heller may trust you enough to let you sit here unchained but I agree with the Vice-Admiral. I've heard what you've done as a pirate, and nothing could equal that out to get a pardon."

"Captain, most of what you've heard about what I may or may not have done is probably exaggerated, most of it was…but then, some of it wasn't." He smiled at the Captain and got a scowl in return so he dropped the smile and leant back on his chair, resting his hands behind his head.

It was about 5 minutes before the door handle rattled and the Captain jumped to the side to give a salute as Heller entered the room. She dismissed the Captain as she walked across the room and lounged on her desk chair as the door clicked shut. Doctor had pushed his hat forward so that it covered his eyes and he seemed to be sleeping, his breathing slow and steady. Heller simply sat there watching him for a dew minutes before she reached behind her and picked up a pen, juggling it in one hand before throwing it at Doctor.

He reacted instantly and caught the pen between two fingers when it was inches away from striking him in the chest. "A simply 'Hello' would have sufficed Rear-Admiral." He said as he sat up and tipped his hat back to its original position so his one gray eye was looking into Heller's brown ones, his milky blind one stared into nothing.

"I'm a fan Doctor." She said with a smile, leaning back on her own chair in a similar fashion to Doctor. "Your 210 million bounty, sorry, former bounty, is right up my alley; I love dealing with your kind."

"I wouldn't let any of the other Marines hear you say that, it could cause you some trouble."

"Unlikely, but I'm not here to talk about what my marines think of me. I'm here to talk about 'Devil Leg' Lin and your relationship to him."

Doctor raised an eyebrow and brushed his hand along his beard, before answering. "I don't know him at all really, only by his wanted poster."

"Really? You seemed quite friendly with him when I walked in on you in your cell."

"As friendly as anyone else I could be locked in a cell with."

"I find that hard to come by, my instincts tell me you don't accommodate in cells too often. So how would you be aware on how to act with inmates? I think you knew him before somehow, I think you are acquainted with him if not his friend."

"Really?" It was Doctor's turn to sound incredulous "How long have I been here now, Heller?"

"What happened to Rear-Admiral, Doctor?" Doctor didn't react so Heller continued with a smile. "I don't know how but I think I'm right, I'm an intelligent woman after all. Eventually I will discover your link to him but for the moment I have an offer for you; work as my legs surgeon."

"Bit of a demotion from Base Surgeon, don't you think?"

"Yes, but a promotion from inmate, don't you think?" Heller imitated with a smile. "You'd be stuck in a cell forever if it weren't for me."

"Not inherently true Heller. Sure Chiketta had me locked up but he would soon realise that his marines were dying without me to work on them."

"We have other surgeons."

"But none with my skill, and I've saved plenty of marines the other surgeons had given up on." Heller frowned. "But I'll accept your offer…" Heller's frown turned to a smile. "…with a condition or two."

"I think getting you out of a jail cell is a good enough payment for your work in return."

"I'll say 'refer to the above statement' about that, I have a single condition." Heller frowned again as Doctor smiled "An answer to a simple question; what kind of pirates reside in the 8th leg?"

Heller was clearly taken aback; she nearly fell off her chair as she struggled to pull herself upright. "Why in the world would you want to know about that?"

"That's not part of the deal, I work as your surgeon and you tell me what pirates reside in the 8th leg. Maybe in a couple of day, if I come to trust you more, I might tell you why."

"Well this is a surprise and it gives me something to think about at least. Why would a hired surgeon want to know about the most dangerous criminals we harbour here?" she smiled as she stood up. "Ok, you've got a deal, I'll tell you who and what resides in the 8th leg and you work as my surgeon and cannot work for anyone else. If I find out that you've helped someone from another leg I'll throw you back in a cell."

"What, don't you trust me?" Doctor said with a sly grin on his face.

_A/N: So a plan is put into action so Lin can find what he seeks and that starts with an alliance with Rear-Admiral Heller! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and keep eyes and ears peeled for the next one! Bye now!_


	33. The Other Side

_A/N: For those of you missing the other lovely characters in this story, hold your breath no longer! Read on, dear people._

**On the Other Side**

"There we go, Supaida Island!"

Marshall was sat at the prow of the ship, his two swords resting against the railing he was sat on, with the wind blowing his long hair all over the place. He was pointing across the blue sea towards a large island with a building covering it almost edge to edge. The island was named as such because of its shape and the building named 'The Spider' for much the same reason as it copied the island it was situated on. The building had a large central unit, about 4 stories high, with a smaller 'head' coming off it towards the north; then 8 long corridor like 'legs' followed the islands 'legs' to create 8 separate wings. The centre of each corridor rose off the ground, giving it the illusion that it was about to stand up and scuttle away.

Marshall turned his head to the only other person on the deck with him, Nemo, as the first-mate walked up to look at the island through a telescope. Mayo was not with them as she had locked herself in her cabin the moment Nemo agreed to Marshall's help. Nemo was sweeping the telescope along the legs, following the high walls which interconnected them. They were topped with vicious looking razor wire and Nemo guessed that there would also be Visual Den Den Mushi's along there as well.

"So, how the hell are we going to break Lin out of there?"

Marshall looked at him for a second before bursting out laughing, actually falling off the railing to roll around on the deck while laughing hysterically. Nemo didn't even look at him as he inspected the building and eventually Marshall calmed down and sat up, rubbing tears from his eyes.

"Sorry, sorry, but ain't no-one going to break anyone out of that place; not without an army."

"We haven't got an army, only 3 people; 4 to get out when we release Lin. What the hell is that?" Nemo suddenly said as something exploded out of the main section of 'The Spider' and dropped down behind one of the connecting walls. There was another explosion but then something else caught Lin's eye as he swivelled the scope to look at the dock-side of the complex.

A large marine vessel had just pulled up and Nemo frowned when he saw who, and what, was stepping off. "That could make things more complicated."

"What?" Marshall said as he stood up to stand next to Nemo.

"Looks like Sentomarou, and _two _Kuma? What the hell?"

"Heh, not two Kuma's; probably two PX units." Nemo lowered the scope to look at Marshall quizzically. "The Marines have built mega-powerful cyborgs to look exactly like Bartholomew Kuma; if they're there then even with an army we ain't getting in there."

"It's not getting in there that's the problem, it's getting in there without being noticed…or getting out for that matter." He folded the scope away and slipped it into his pocket; he might decide to use it later after all.

"Can't your Captain break himself out of there? He managed to take down Kumar after all and he was a tough mother, not just anyone could crack him."

"If he wanted to break out of there he no doubt would have already, although with those PX's there, it sounds like it might be too difficult, even for him."

"Why don't we just leave him here and get the hell out of here, if we hang around too long no doubt the base will send out some marines to see who the hell we are; at least you were intelligent enough to remove your Jolly Roger."

Nemo turned to face Marshall "Leave him there? That isn't an option, I'm afraid and if you suggest it again, I'll throw you off the ship, physically."

"Alright…Mister Touchy! Anyway, we're not going to be able to do anything today so let's at least make it look like we're getting out of here."

"At least you have a valid point, drop the sail and we'll circle round to the other side."

With a grin, Marshall attached his two swords to his leather strap and jumped to the main deck to hoist down the sails and get the ship moving. Nemo decided to go and speak to Mayo and jumped over the inner rail so he could enter the lower decks by the small door that led down there.

Mayo was sat on her small bed, her leather jacket was hung on a hook by the door and her swords were on their belt lying next to her on the bed. She had a small leather bound book in her hand and it seemed to have been written by hand. There was a polite knock at the door, a polite one which meant that it wasn't Marshall, but she ignored it anyway, keeping her eyes locked on the book on her lap. The knock came again and she folded the book away just as the door swung open to allow Nemo in, who leant on the doorframe.

"We're going to need your help Mayo." He said simply, his tired eyes sweeping over the room.

"You know I won't help, not with Marshall here; you don't know what he did to me!"

"I realise your animosity towards him, and I know he killed a friend of yours; but we won't be able to get Lin out without his help."

"But you'll have to find a way to do it without my help."

"Is your hatred for Marshall greater then your loyalty to Lin?"

Mayo looked at him with an incredulous face "Nemo, I've known him for what? A couple of weeks? Marshall killed people I had known for years, people I cared about, people I loved. The hatred I have for him would overshadow any loyalty I could have for a pirate!"

"I'm making a plan and I'm going to include you in that plan. I'm going to give Lin a week to do something inside the prison, and if he doesn't, we'll go in there to break him out." and with that Nemo left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"I'm sorry Lin…" Mayo said, throwing her book down on the bed. "You'd understand, wouldn't you? You'd understand that I can't help you while Marshall is here…I'm sorry."

As Nemo headed towards the dining area he heard his name called and he spun around to see Marshall heading towards him, a heavy black chest in his hand. It took him a second to see it but once the heavy duty locks came into view, Nemo knew where the chest had come from.

"You didn't tell me you had treasure here." Marshall said, brandishing the chest. "Although I can't seem to open it, these locks are too good."

Nemo didn't say anything and indicated that Marshall should enter the dining area with him, when he did he gestured at the table. "Put the chest on the table…"

"Why?"

"Now!"

"Wow, you are touchy today aren't you; did you get enough sleep last night?" Marshall laughed, but he still placed the chest on the table.

Nemo decided to ignore the comment as he pushed the chest to the far side of the table; the opposite side to Marshall. "How did you get hold of this?"

"Well, I was exploring and I found this door open, so with me being nosy I stuck my head in. On the far wall was an open door, looked to be some kind of hidden safe that had been left open. I decided to have a look and found this chest in there. What's in it if not treasure then?"

"That was Lin's room you entered without permission, I wouldn't let him find out you did that. He briefly explained to me what this chest was and I get the idea it is very precious to him; something much more valuable to him then gold and treasure. He told me that one day he might explain it fully. We'll put it back later but first we have to come up with a plan to break Lin out."

"Right, did I tell you about the PX's?" Marshall said while laying himself across the bench by the wall to prevent himself hitting his head on the wall.

"We're going to wait a week, they won't be there forever. In a week, we'll initiate the plan and break Lin out of there; if Lin hasn't broken himself out before then of course."

"Fair enough…" Marshall paused as he dug a bogey out of his nose "But there are still loads of Marines there."

"What exactly do you know, and how do you know it?"

"I know it because we were a pirate crew who set up on an Island so close to a high ranking Marine base. As to what I know? Pretty much everything that is permanent about the place."

"Explain."

"Try not to lose all hope as I explain, okay?" Marshall laughed "So the most important thing is that the complex is commanded by a Vice-Admiral; a fishman who goes by Chiketta, I believe you met him. Right, so he's a big pain in the ass as it is but that isn't all. Each 'leg' is commanded by a Rear-Admiral, so that's 8 more pain in the asses we will have to deal with. Then you've got the actual prisoners, leg 1, the one pointing south, is for very low level prisoners only, sucka's with less then a 5 mill bounty or none at all."

"After that, you alternate left and right to get the more dangerous criminals. So the one immediately to leg 1's right is leg 2, the one to is left is leg 3. Then to leg 2's right is leg 4, to the left is 5 and so on. The northern most leg is for Devil Fruit users, because Chiketta has some sort of vendetta against those with powers beyond that which is natural. So, everyone is there is locked in small single cell and constantly chained in sea-stone; if you want to survive the break-out, you stay the hell away from there."

"Each ranking Marine member keeps a pair of sea-stone cuffs on them except Chiketta, because he doesn't need them! Other then Chiketta there is no-one famously notable though. That's pretty much all I know. Oh, also if you expect me to fight, I don't mind; but I'm not going to fight anyone with Admiral in their names, I'd like to keep my life."

"Fair enough." Nemo replied, nodding his head to Marshall's explanation. "I think the plan should be to get Lin free as soon as possible, ignore taking anyone out until he is out."

"If you're going for speed there's a simple way to do this. We'll pick the leg based on his bounty, and then I'll bust down the outer wall, then the inner wall and bust Lin out of his cell. While that's happening, you bust in from the opposite side with Mayo to distract them and while they're all confused, Lin gets free and kicks some ass; sound good?"

"Not bad, but it needs some refining."

They continued their conversation; lasting for an hour of so before the final plans were decided and laid down. Nemo got up to inform Mayo but as he did she walked through the door, swords on her hips along with her hands. She glanced at Marshall once, who had taken an unusual interest in the wood of the table, before turning to Nemo.

"I'll help to break out Lin, with one condition; Marshall is as far away from me as possible during the whole thing."

Nemo suppressed a smile. "That's some luck then, that's exactly what we planned. Sit down and I'll explain it to you." Mayo pointedly looked at Marshall. "Marshall, raise the sails and lock the ship down for the night."

Marshall didn't hesitate to stand up, ducking his head to avoid hitting the ceiling, and exiting the room; moving past Mayo as fast as he could.

_A/N: Phew wee, that was a hard chapter to write. I realise that Nemo is a bit talkative in this chapter but I need the animosity between Mayo and Marshall, so he was the only candidate left! Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter coming to you soon._


	34. The Alpha Male

_A/N: Thanks for your reviews guys, otherwise I have nothing in particular to say apart from; Fairy Tail, WTF! Read on…_

**The Alpha Male**

It had been three days since Lin was first placed in his cell with his supposedly deceased crew mate, three days since the plan had been made and been put into motion so he could get his hands on the Swordsman from many years ago. He had settled into his role as prison inmate quite easily and was now strolling along a corridor, heading towards the dining hall. Rear-Admiral Heller was unique within this particular prison, as well as the prison being unique in itself, because she let her prisoners free to walk around their areas during the day as long as they reported for the midday meal without delay. The prison was unique because it was the only one which actually allowed the prisoners out of their cells in the first place, most prisons opted to keep the prisoners locked up at all times.

Lin was now wearing the prison garb of black slip on shoes and an orange jumpsuit, although he had tied the top half around his waist and was wearing a white vest instead. He pushed open the double doors in front of him and entered the canteen to discover it full. Not full in the sense that every seat was taken, it could seat up to one hundred, but full in the sense that every prisoner of the 5th leg was there already; which amounted to about 30 people. All of them sat in the middle of the room and Lin's eyes automatically sought out the guy at the centre of the gathering, strangely a skinny guy with eye misted over as if blind. He memorised the face and tucked it away in his head in case he ever needed it later. Then without moving closer to them he headed over to the food.

However, the skinny guy seemed to have another plan for him as he turned his head towards Lin and then gestured with his hand and three of the biggest guys stood up and moved over to Lin, standing in front of him with their arms crossed across their large chests. Lin slowly came to a stop and looked up at the three, who were actually only a couple of inches taller then him anyway, and looked at them each in turn, taking care to look them in the eye as he did so.

"Bravo, Bravo." A husky voice said and Lin turned to see the ring leader making his way over to him. "Most people either strike out straight away or cower but you've done neither; a man confident in himself. I like that." He had short bristly black hair, those milky eyes, and bar piercings running through the top of his ears. He didn't seem to be blind however as his eyes seemed to be locked onto Lin. "The name's Ortare Ingrill, nice to meet you."

Lin looked down at the hand and then looked back up at Ortare's face. "Oh right, I get what's going on here." Ortare kept his hand up but raised an eyebrow. "You're the top dog in these parts and you're making sure I'm not going to step on your toes. Don't worry, I won't. I'll keep myself to myself thank you."

"Interesting…" the husky voice replied as he lowered his hand. "But you see, I can't leave you running around solo now. If you're not with me then you are against me and I'll have to teach you what happens to those that are against me."

"Here? What about the guards?"

"Oh, don't think they'll save you; the Captain on duty at the moment doesn't interfere with internal fights, in fact I think he likes them. As long as his men aren't involved, so they won't help either."

"What about carrying off injured people?"

"I'll make sure you're still able to walk away."

Lin smiled with a hint of sadness. "But I probably won't."

"Get him." Was the only thing Ortare said in reply.

Lin flexed his hands as his eyes flicked over to the three big guys but they hadn't moved and he realised just in time that a man had appeared from behind Ortare and was aiming a fast punch at his face. Lin wasn't lacking experience though as he jerked his head back to avoid the blow and caught the fist in his far hand. With a twist of his body he rested his arm along the length of the man's arm and with a jerk there was a resounding crack as his elbow broke. The man cried out in pain but Lin didn't wait for him to recover before he stamped on the back of the knee to drop the man to his knees and then booted him in the back of the head, which made him fly forward and crack his head into the wall with enough force to knock him out.

Ortare seemed to growl but Lin didn't have time to confirm it as the three big guys made their move. The centre one came at him head on and the other two moved to either side in an attempt to surround him, which Lin led them to believe they had. Lin didn't say that they'd made a fatal error in surrounding him in they way the did; mainly that they would still have to attack one at a time or risk beating each other up. As such the guy on Lin's left attacked first with a wild hay maker which Lin ducked under and then landed a punch right in his solar plexus, sending him stumbling backwards and then collapsing to the floor taking ragged breaths.

The guy to his right attack now, with an attempt to grapple Lin into some kind of throw or hold, but Lin simply used the man's momentum against himself as he jerked back and slammed his elbow into his throat, before spinning and kicking out the back of his legs to send him flying to the floor. Before he could recover himself Lin was on top of him and punched him square in the nose to knock him unconscious and break his nose in the process. As the final big guy approached, more cautiously now he had seen Lin deal with his friends with such ease. But he didn't count on Lin taking the fight to him as the blue haired pirate dashed forward to attack, only at the last second dodging to the side and punching out the side of the knee, snapping it with ease. As the guy started to collapse a colossal uppercut lifted him off the floor before heaping him down on it.

Ortare really did growl this time as he pursed his lips. "Well now, for a man whose nickname is 'Devil Leg' you don't use your legs very often."

"Like I'd need to be serious with these guys, haven't you got a better class of criminal under you?" Lin said as he turned to face his milky eyed assailant.

"Huh, don't forget that we criminals in leg 5 are pretty bad, I have a 140 million bounty and now you'll meet my friends who are similar in level. You should have just fallen to the small fry; Norton." The last word was directed to another skinny man who had walked up behind Ortare, running his fingers along his teeth.

Lin tensed up; he could sense this guy wasn't the same as the previous ones as he stepped forward and glared at him with piercing blue eyes. His skinniness gave away his nature as he dashed forward with impressive speed and launched a strike at Lin's face, fingers out straight as if to stab his eyes. Lin dodged the attack but something ran across his cheek and when Norton came to a stop, he could feel a thin trickle of warm blood running towards his neck. _Mmm, this guy is pretty good; I suppose I could show off a bit before doing what needs to be done. _Lin thought as he wiped the blood away and put his hands in his pockets, earning a somewhat approving look from Ortare.

As Norton came in for a second attack, identical to the first, Lin leant back to avoid the blow instead of dodging to the side like before. Except he didn't stop at just leaning back as he rolled backwards on the floor and pushed himself up onto his shoulders so his foot connected with Norton's chin. As Norton lifted off, Lin had rolled completely over so he was crouched on his legs and as Norton came back down he bounced up and slammed his heel into his chin again, this time sending him much higher into the air before he fell into a table, smashing it to pieces where he remained unconscious.

Lin landed gracefully and turned to face Ortare, hands still in his pockets and a wicked sneer on his face. Ortare growled again and gestured for more people to move forwards, but none did. "Get him you fools, or feel my wrath." But still, no one moved at his order.

"Looks like you aren't the top dog anymore Ortare; you're just not strong enough. I suspect you got your 140 mill from killing off civilians like the weakling you are. However, I can't leave you as you are; there is someone I'd like you to meet."

With a burst of speed he appeared in front of Ortare and rammed his foot into his chest, sending him skidding across the floor. Then as he tried to stand up again he landed on his arm and crushed it against the floor where it snapped like a twig. Ortare screamed but Lin silenced him by putting his foot in his mouth, knocking out a number of teeth and knocking him onto his back. As he coughed up blood and teeth, Lin casually walked around the other side and stamped on his other arm a few times as it too snapped and splintered. He left Ortare screaming as he moved onto each leg, snapping it just below the knee on each of them. Then with a final kick to the head he knocked the poor man unconscious.

"This is what happens if you go against me people." Lin said, turning to address the rest of the prisoners, the ones that were still on their feet. "I'll break both you're arms and both your legs, so that you need a visit to the surgeon." He smiled maliciously before turning to exit the room. "Oh, also, you belong to me now, not that punk…" he paused at the door and turned back to look at the stunned crowd. "…is what I'd say if I actually wanted pieces of shit like you under me!" he laughed hysterically before slamming his way through the door and headed down the hall back to his cell, laughing all the way. He left the canteen silence, broken only by the laboured breathing of the injured.

Ortare's eyes flickered open and he found himself half sitting, half lying in some sort of reclining seat. His arms and legs were all covered in casts and were strapped to the chair to stop him moving them and damaging himself further. He also had bandaging tied tightly around his chest and some sort of soft fabric running along his gums. He couldn't move his head so he just moved his eyes around until he caught sight of the back of someone who was working on something on one of the benches along the wall.

"Where am I?" he tried to say but it came out mumbled and gurgled. But it still got the man's attention as he turned around, adjusting the cowboy hat on his head.

"Well now, you shouldn't be awake just yet. You've obviously been dosed more times then I believed and simply burned your way through the sedative. I don't really want to waste any more on you though…" he stroked his long beard thoughtfully as he stepped up to Ortare to look down at him. "Oh well, I suppose I can just blame him if I need to." he said before stretching one hand out and clamping it around Ortare's neck; squeezing until the blood flow was prevented from reaching his brain and he dropped back into unconsciousness.

Doctor turned back to the desk he was working on and finished sewing together a strange looking leather ball like object. "At least he couldn't look down." He muttered and walked over to unconscious Ortare with the ball in hand. He was referring to the folded back skin on Ortare's stomach, along the right side. There was a slight gap between the organs and Doctor skilfully slipped the ball in and fastened it in place with careful stitches before closing the skin and sewing that closed as well. He packed all his equipment away and then leant back against the side.

"You're still a cruel pirate, Kai…" he mused quietly before exiting the room.

_A/N: So then…Lin's showed the boss whose boss and frightened the so-called powerful pirates of the 5__th__ leg. Now Doctor has slipped a strange object inside the damaged Ortare…what could their plan be? :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter and keep eyes and ears peeled for the next one heading your way!_


	35. Arguments

_A/N: Hiya! Hope your enjoying the story so far, and thanks for all your reviews. Unfortunately I won't be able to update next week as I'll be in the arse-end of Wales for a week. But otherwise, read on!_

**Arguments**

Heller was striding purposefully down a corridor, twisting every now and again around short corners, her marine coat flapping behind her. Minutes ago a message had arrived in her office that the information office had something important they needed to share with the Rear-Admiral's in charge of the Legs. She was hesitant to go at first, she wasn't too friendly with the other Rear-Admirals, but she decided that any information that group dictated as important probably meant it was really important. So she was consumed in her thoughts as she rounded a corner and came face to scaly-face with Vice-Admiral Chiketta; she paused momentarily before looking him in the eye.

"Don't you salute superior officers?" He asked in his low rumbling voice, a hint of anger escaping into it.

"If I see one, I'll remember that bit of advice…" Heller replied. It was safe to say that she was not very fond of Chiketta.

Chiketta didn't reply but made a sound close to a growl before he spoke again. "I expect you to lock that man back up within the next hour."

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific, Chiketta." Heller crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side as if impatient.

Anger flared up in Chiketta's eyes and he suddenly lunged forward, his fist drawn back as if he was about to attack Heller. Heller didn't wait to see what happened, she took a step forward and appeared behind the large fishman just as he punched the wall, leaving a spider web of cracks surrounding his fist. Chiketta spun around to face Heller with heavy breaths. "That was…never mind. You damn well know who I mean; I want Umbra back in a cell."

"Ha, don't try and flex you're authority around me Chiketta. I know that works with some of the others, but not with me. Now unless you want to give me a further reason to arrest you I advise getting the hell out of my way."

Chiketta paused, seemingly in indecision about what to do but then stormed past Heller with fire in his eyes. "This discussion is not over, Heller." He threw over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

_Damn, that was so close! _Heller thought as she spun around and started up her brisk walk again, heading towards the centre hub of the Spider. She reached the end of her leg, where it connected to the hub, and took out a key which she had hung around her neck, sliding it into the heavy padlock and clicking it free with a sharp twist. Only the Rear-Admiral, and Chiketta, had a key to the door which led to their leg for security purposes. She closed the large doors behind her and locked it again, hanging the key around her neck before she tramped up the stairs and entered through another door which led to the main room in the central hub; the war room.

The war room was as much as anyone would expect of something with that name with the only unique thing being that it was actually octagonal in shape, with each side leading to a flight of stairs which led down to each leg. In the centre of the room was a large round table with a scale model of the Spider on it, albeit missing its roofs, for use when the base was under attack and co-ordination was needed; or, as was most common, practices about what to do should they come under attack. The other seven Rear-Admirals were already waiting, a stranger looking bunch didn't exist in the world as each of them dressed how they liked with the exception that they all wore the marine coat draped across their shoulders.

"You're the last one Heller, like always." The one straight across from Heller said, his numerous piercings glinting in the light.

"Like these meetings have ever been important, Karnel." She retorted as she crossed her arms. "So what's so important about this information?" She glanced around but no one answered her but as she was about to speak she noticed the other Marine stood against one wall. He stepped forward and saluted smartly before pulling a sheet of paper from his pocket.

"An unmarked ship was spotted circling the base yesterday morning. It was a small ship, nothing of note, but it was watched nonetheless. As it left the area this morning a pirate flag was raised; not one on the list however. It is surmised that this is a crew of one of the captured pirates and is planning some sort of break out."

"This was the important information?" Growled a bearded man, a wicked axe hanging at his hip. "We get plenty of crews scout out the area before deciding that they're crew mate isn't worth the trouble it would take to save them; why is this one so important?" The marine didn't answer and as the man started to speak again, the door behind him opened with a slam.

All the Rear-Admirals turned to face the door, some placing hands on weapons, before they realised it wasn't some kind of attack. Sentomarou stood there, his large figure framed by the doorway, with his axe resting on his shoulder. Behind him stood the two PX units who had a man in their hands, his head hung down on his chest as though he was unconscious.

"It was not him, but me who really called this meeting; I just needed a reason to make it less suspicious." He said as he entered the room, followed by the PX's, to allow the door to close behind him. "Chiketta is losing his touch; I need you to do something about him."

The only other woman in the room, apart from Heller, snorted "How do suppose we do that; he is a Vice-Admiral. Aren't you equal to him now?"

"I am but I have to report back to the World Government immediately, apparently this prisoner is high profile. I don't care what you do; find some reason to lock him up if you need to. Once he is out of the way I can make sure someone competent replaces him, he's the weakest of the Vice-Admiral's anyway." The former scientist glared at each of them in turn "Maybe there is even a promotion in store somewhere along the lines." He didn't wait for any kind of reply before leaving through the door again and leaving the Rear-Admirals to talk amongst themselves.

_This is the perfect opportunity, I'll just have to make sure I'm the one who manages this; other Rear-Admiral's be damned! _Heller thought as the other marines started conspiring against the Vice-Admiral.

The ship which the marine was reporting on was now just out of view of Supaida Island, anchored near a small uncharted Island Marshall remembered was there. They had sailed as close as they dared and then taken a small row boat to the island itself. The weather was sunny and it fit the white sand and large leaved tree perfectly, giving it a glowing look. Marshall himself was now stood on that beach, the large Ryuujin Toorima lying next to him and the Rekishichizu in his hand, held above his head.

His legs were spread equally apart and his toes were squeezing the sand beneath them, as his spare hand was raised slightly and open palmed. His sword hand, and sword, flickered and appeared on his low left as a massive cleft was carved into the sea before it settled down. His arm flickered again and appeared back in its original starting position and the sea split again, except this time there was two temporary partings before the water settled down again. Once again the sword flickered and it ended up down at his side as three gashes appeared in the sea.

_That's it, I can't do more then 3 slashes with just this speed…although that's not too bad. _Marshall thought as he pierced Rekishichizu into the ground and picked up the larger, heavier sword resting on his shoulder as he looked out to sea. With a grunt he lifted it off his shoulder and swung down with all his might, embedding the tip deep into the ground. As the sword contacted the sand there was a massive explosion of water and sand over 100 ft long, disappearing into the sea. "Ok then, that's the one I'm going to break through the wall with then." He muttered to himself as he hooked the sword onto his back and did the same with the one on the floor. "Just one thing to do now then…"

He trekked across the sand until he reached the scarce tree line and glanced around until he caught sight of a black shoulder covered with long dark hair that signalled Mayo sitting with her back against a tree, her back to him. She had the leather bound book in her hand again and was engrossed in it as Marshall walked up to her, as casually as he could muster; which wasn't particularly casual since he was so unused to it.

"Move even one more step closer and I swear to God I will cut your head clean off." She said, without even raising her eyes from her book.

"That was nice and friendly." Marshall retorted, stopping a couple feet back from her.

"If you were looking for friendly, I suggest you go back to where you came from."

"Look, all I want to say is…"

"You don't get to say anything!" she nearly shouted the last word as she jumped to her feet, rounding on Marshall and prodding him with her book. "You…don't…get…to say…anything!" she reiterated through clenched teeth.

"If you want…"

"I don't!" She interrupted "I'm being polite at the moment because Nemo's plan needs you, but don't think for a second that after this is done I'll let you walk free." She had shut her book and placed it in her pocket, resting her hands instead against the hilts of her swords.

Marshall eyed her hands warily before slowly reaching up to grasp both of his swords. In a flash, Mayo had her own blades out and against his neck like a pair of very large, very sharp scissors. "Just give me an excuse…" she said, her blue eyes locking onto Marshall's red ones.

He held the stare as he slowly removed the swords, resisting the urge to swallow and have the blades slice through him, and held one in each hand before stretching out and dropping them to the floor. A confused look crossed her face and Marshall took the opportunity to grab her wrists, preventing her from dealing a killing blow; although streams of blood still ran down his neck. "I am not here to fight you…"

"No, you're here to kill me. That's your favourite line! Now release me before I decide that the plan can go ahead without you in it!" Marshall released her and was glad when she withdrew a couple of steps, but she kept her blades in her hands. "Now get lost!"

"Mayo…"

"No! You've killed too many people, too many of my friends, too many of my family for you to have anything to say to me! So…"

"I'M SORRY!" Marshall roared, stunning Mayo into silence. "That's the only time I'm going to apologise because I'm not saying I regret what I've done, I never regret anything I've done. At the time, for me, it was what I needed to do, what I had to do, and I know what I've done means you have every reason to want to kill me. But you need to listen to me now…"

He paused to wait for a response but Mayo didn't give any, instead she stood there staring at him. "For this to work we need to work together, to last more then a second before you decide you need to kill me. After the initial break in, we will be joining up with each other to get out, I need to be sure you won't kill me; can I trust you to with that?"

She was silent for a long time, slowly sheathing her swords in the wait, before answering. "No…" was her reply before she walked off into the denser forest.

Once she was out of sight, Marshall spun around and planted his fist in one of the trees, splintering it around his fingers. "Just once…that was all I needed." He picked up his swords and hooked then on his back before stalking back to the beach.

_A/N: What will the Rear-Admirals plan in order to remove Chiketta from power? It's on its way, just keep on reading! Marshall's reconciliation with the young Mayo has failed; will he be able to survive through the assault on Supaida Island? I enjoyed writing this chapter much more then I thought I would, hope you enjoyed reading it and keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way!_


	36. Prison Break Phase 1

_A/N: Wowee, I nearly forgot about posting this chapter up! That was a close one, wasn't it? But anyway, read on dear readers :)_

**Prison Break: Phase 1**

"We've hit a little bit of a bump."

Lin was sat in his cell and Doctor was leaning on the wall outside of it, ready to start walking should anyone decide to stroll around the corner. It was the latter who had spoken and he turned his head to see Lin's reaction, which wasn't there.

"He's not in the 8th Leg." Lin muttered, resting his elbows on his knees and then his head on his hands.

"No. According to Heller, the 8th leg is for the Devil Fruit users of the prison. Each member is locked in a single cell, and locked to the wall with sea stone cuffs. It must be one of the biggest collections of users in any of the blues, I'm actually quite impressed."

"Impressed you may be but that means it just became a lot harder to find him."

"What, you think I risked coming to talk to you just to say I hadn't found him yet?"

"So you've found him?" Lin looked rightly confused.

"Not as such but I have a sneaking suspicion of who it might be, and it might not be an inmate."

"What?"

"Not only that, but I'm even convinced that he's one of the Rear-Admirals that control the legs."

"How the hell does someone like him get a position in the marines?"

"It's been a long time since we last saw him and he could've of easily done the same thing that you did. A change of looks, a change of heart and a marine he could become; you could have become a marine if you wanted to." Lin snorted "But it's true nonetheless. I've managed to 'procure' a list of all the Rear-Admirals with pictures, I'll start on them." If I can't find a way of making him one of them, I'll pass on the list to you and you can take a look."

"Fair enough, when are you getting the list?"

"As soon as I am back in my room."

"Then why the hell are you still talking to me?"

Doctor smiled and nodded a farewell as he walked down the hallway and disappeared around the corner. It didn't take him long for him to reach the quarters Heller had given him and as he walked in a found two sheets of paper lying at the base of his door. _Good, he didn't chicken out. _He thought as he picked the paper up with a sweeping motion without slowing down. As soon as he was in the room he closed the door and moved across to the desk, placing the papers face up. One sheet was a list of 9 names, while the other was 9 pictures with numbers by them; presumably matching up to the names with the same number. The first thing he did was look at the list of names.

Jodeson Chiketta

Rodney Lodestone (first leg)

Lucy Feath (second leg)

Jordane Frieman (third leg)

Avery Odder (fourth leg)

Sarah Heller (fifth leg)

Pidar Iskin (sixth leg)

Jason Karnel (seventh leg)

Oskar Riddle (eighth leg)

_That's a nice hand_ Doctor thought idly as he read. Picking up a pen from a pot he instantly crossed out Chiketta, Feath and Heller since he knew the one he searched for wasn't a fishman and wasn't a woman. Next he crossed out Pidar Iskin as his skin was as dark as the darkest chocolate and then he wrote a new list excluding those names. _So that gives me a pool of 5 people to investigate but that'll take more time then Kai wants…I'll see what he thinks later. _With that thought he turned to the pictures and gave them a scan but none of them jumped out at him, not that he was expecting them too since it was many years ago that he had last seen the man.

So he folded the two bits of paper away, the pictures and the new list he had made, and tucked them into one of his sashes around his waist for safe keeping. Then he spent the next couple of hours making up different medicines and the like, until he was sure the prisoners' lunch break had finished. So he packed his kit away and made his way back to Lin, who was lying in the centre of his cell with his hands behind his head, staring up at the roof.

"Prison…" he paused as if in thought "…is infinitely boring dear Doctor." He said before bending his neck to smile at his old friend.

"Yes it is, so I suspect you don't want to be waiting around here too long. Take a look at these." As he spoke he pulled out the paper and slotted it through the bars so it floated down to Lin's feet.

Lin pulled himself to a sitting position and grabbed the paper, instantly going to the list of names. "Why are there only 5 names, there should be eight." He asked before moving onto the pictures.

"Two of them were woman and one was black, so it can't be any of them unless he either got a sex change of he got one hell of a tan." Doctor smiled in response.

"Fair enough…wait a second!" he flicked back to the page of names and his eyes locked onto one in particular.

"What?"

"The cheeky bugger, the cheeky, cheating, little bugger. I would never have noticed him if I had looked him in the eye, stared at him for hours, he is good at disguise. But what an idiot, he must think it's a total secret."

"I'm sorry, you seem to be having a conversation with yourself but I'd rather like to know what the hell you're talking about." Doctor interrupted with a frown.

"Jason Karnel…that's him."

"What the hell are you talking about, the names not familiar in any way and the face hardly looks like him; even if you removed all those piercings."

"And that's the genius of it, you can't properly imagine him without those piercings because he has so many, it's distracting you from the face at the same time as it draws attention to the face to give them impression he's not trying to hide his face!"

"Right, that made sense…"

"But the clincher is the name, Jason Karnel. As you keep reminding me it has been many years since then, many years indeed. Do you think I've been sat on my arse, wimping about and moping because my crew was dead?" Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Let's just answer no to that anyway. Jason Karnel is his real name, the name he was born with, the name he had for about an hour until it could be changed. Is he getting sentimental now?" Lin shook his head as he jumped to his feet. "It doesn't matter, now we just have to get his attention, the problem is that he is head of the 7th leg, which is…Doctor, where is the 7th leg."

Doctor had a smile on his face now and was actively leaning on the bars to talk to Lin. "its right next to us, right god damn next to us. I think we can throw our elaborate plan out of the window, I've just thought of a much better one."

"What?"

"A riot…" the smile grew wider as he explained.

"It's easy, we start a riot." Karnel said, leaning against the central table.

"And you don't think that's dangerous at all?" Feath said, her long blonde hair nearly touching the back of her knees.

"Not at all, if we limit it to releasing the prisoners from legs 1 -5. That way we keep the only guys who can cause us a real problem locked away but enough average guys for the excuse to hold up when someone comes investigating."

"And how do we stop anyone escaping for real?" This came from Lodestone, the bearded Rear-Admiral with the axe at his waist.

"Just before we start the riot, we'll lock down the perimeter with a training exercise, as if we were practicing for a riot, and then we will be prepared when the actual riot occurs."

"That all sounds a bit too convenient, and it'll sound that way to anyone investigating it." This time it was Iskin's turn to speak, his low rumbling voice matching his dark skin.

"Not if we all say the same thing. We could also ask one of the inmates to instigate it for us so all we have to keep secret is that fact that it was all our idea."

"Where the hell are we going to find an inmate that would voluntarily start a riot?" Lodestone said.

"You don't get it Lode, you've only been in charge of the 1st leg, and you haven't been to our ones because you have so many in yours. There are quite a few people who would gladly start a riot for the hell of it, especially if we let them outside."

Heller hadn't said anything throughout the meeting; she had other things on her mind. Like how using the riot could help her with the mystery of Doctor and his friend Lin. IT was because she was thinking so hard that she missed the question directed at her. "Sorry, what?"

"I said, what do you think of the plan; you've been bloody thoughtful for the last hour." Karnel said.

"It's a good plan…in fact, I know exactly the best person to start this thing; leave it to me."

"Good, so the only thing left is to decide who is going to kill Chiketta."

"Kill!"

Karnel looked around incredulously "Oh come on, you didn't really believe the whole 'arrest' thing that Sentomarou was talking about? He obviously meant kill him, if we arrest him all kinds of trouble will arise; killing him will be the best thing."

"And…you think one of us can kill him?

"Of course, as long as we don't let him near the water."

Heller turned around and half opened the door leading to her leg, turning back at the last minute. "Give me a yell when you decide, before then I'm going to convince my guy to start a riot. Bye for now then!" she said before she disappeared down the stairs to her leg.

"A riot? That actually sounds like a good idea, but what about whats-his-ma-face? The guy I beat up specifically to get this mission to work"

"Oh I'm sure we can find a use for him, especially if you plan on escaping after I've finished him off."

"Sorry, when you finish him off?"

"Yeah, when _I_ finish him off. You don't think I'd let you have the privilege would you."

"But this is my plan, my goal. You would never have even known he was here if I had not begun my search."

"Yeah but as soon as you heard we were still alive, you didn't even think to continue your search for them."

Lin paused for a moment before answering. "But I'm your Captain and thus you have to listen to me!" he had a look of triumph on his face.

"Really? I don't remember ever being a pirate under a man named Lin, so I've never been under you I'm afraid." Lin frowned as Doctor continued "Of course, we could always fight for the right, and I believe I won the last round."

"That hardly counted…"

"I think it did, but anyway we'll need to start the riot around lunch time then."

"That sounds about right…" Doctor whirled around as Lin snapped his head across to see Heller appearing around the corner. Doctor started to slink away but Heller waved him to stop. "No point, Dr Umbra. I've been watching your little conversations with Lin here for a number of days; didn't I tell you I was pretty intelligent." Doctor looked like he was about to say something but Heller pointed up to the wall where a snail was stuck to the wall.

"A visual Den Den Mushi, well fancy that." Was all Doctor said before leaning back against the wall again, hooking his thumbs in one of his sashes.

"However it seems that that little tree has bloomed earlier then I was expected while bearing unintended fruit; so I have a question for you, both of you." She moved her head between the two and both Lin and Doctor raised an eyebrow. "If I let all the prisoners free, would you be able to start a riot? From the sounds of it, I'm sure you can."

Lin thought about any sort of trick Heller might be playing but he couldn't think of one that could harm him very much, if at all. "Yeah, I can do that." He said with a smile as Doctor shook his head with disbelief.

_A/N: So the plan starts, well the new plan anyway. Doctor and the Rear-Admirals come to the same conclusion, the best course of action would be a riot. This should be fun, hope you enjoyed this chapter and keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way!_


	37. Prison Break Phase 2

_A/N: Nearly forgot to put this one up! But I blame Bethesda because I've just started Skyrim and got totally distracted. But anyway, here's the chapter you've been waiting for!_

**Prison Break: Phase 2**

It happened all at once, so well timed that there was no way it could be thought of as a coincidence. As the cell doors to every criminal in legs 1 -5 opened, locked doors unlocked and certain parts of the building exploded for some reason. Lin was out of his cell in a second and the first thing he did was punch the marine positioned outside of his cell in the back of the head so he cracked his face on the stone wall in front of him. As he glanced left and right he saw other prisoners do the same thing, the leg 5 criminals weren't planning on dallying about. _But it's not these guys I'm worried about; I need to get to the 1__st__ leg! _He thought desperately as he dashed through the hallways, and then another thought occurred to him and he slid to a halt.

He pointed to the wall north of him and mouthed '7' and then turned to the wall south of him and mouthed '3'. _That means I need to go that way, and fast! _He crouched low and bounded forward, crashing his kick into the wall and smashing it to pieces, giving him and the other prisoner's access to the outside courtyards. As he landed on the soft grass he noticed how fortified the outer wall was, overwhelmed with guards wielding rifles all pointed to the legs and main building. He shrugged when they didn't fire on him and dashed onwards towards the next rounded building that signalled the 3rd leg, if he had guessed right.

Just before he reached the wall he launched himself into the air and flipped over, crashing his heel into the stone and dragging it down until he touched the floor. When he did a large crack appeared in the wall and then a door-sized hole appeared as part of the stone collapsed to the floor. On the other side of this wall was a group of prisoners who looked very confused.

"Don't hang around here! This is a good time to scram and escape into the world, just be careful of all the armed guards on the wall; that would hurt." And without waiting to see how they would take his advice he weaved his way through the corridors until he reached what he thought was an outer wall. So he forced that wall to collapse as well and found himself in a courtyard nearly identical to the one he had passed though moments ago. _Here go's! _He thought as he dashed forward again and made the same movement as before, cracking a large hole into the wall.

Leg 1 was for the lowest class of criminal which had been arrested; all the people with bounties of 20 million, less, or none at all. This meant that there was much more of them then the other legs, over 500 criminals all locked into the same place. This also meant that they were the least rowdy of the 8 legs, being as most of them were only temporarily in there for a month at a time for minor crimes. Lin needed them to be rowdy, as rowdy as he could possibly get them in order for the plan to work at full capacity and benefit him more then it did Heller or anyone else.

There was a number of these inmates stood near the wall he had busted in through and they were looking at him look he wasn't real, or he was some kind of marine or trap. As Lin looked around he saw that all of the inmates in sight were doing nothing at all, absolutely nothing that would help them escape. However, before Lin could think of a way to get them moving a figure appeared out of a doorway, chased by a marine with a sword, and started shouting.

"Run, run for your lives! The marines are going to kill us all!" it sounded weird but if anyone had any doubt as to what he was saying the marine caught up with him and rammed his blade through his stomach. The man screamed and crumpled on the spot, where the marine then continued to stab him again, and again, and again until he was as holy as a mortal man could be; his blood spread across the floor like a lake.

Immediately a shout went up by the ones nearest to the murdered individual and panic ensued as every started to scramble away from the marine in an attempt to escape, even more so when more marines fountained out of the doorway. However, Lin wasn't fooled as he darted his way through the crowd to kneel at the remains of the dead man.

"I was about to say 'I recognise this man' but now I'm going to say 'Good god man, what have you done to your hair!' instead." Lin said as the man pulled himself to a seated position, the wounds inflicted earlier completely gone.

Vandred's hair, previously long and black, was now a mix of dark blue and green and had been styled into hundreds of small braids which hung down his back. He was wearing the standard inmate clothes but as he sat there he managed to strip them off and was wearing a crumpled suit and tie combo, the suit and tie being black and the shirt being a dark red. "My hair? I haven't done anything to my hair…" he replied as he stood up and brushed his suit as if knocking off dust. "What makes you say that?"

Lin decided it would be best to change the subject instead of question the man's hair. "I heard you were locked up in Leg 8 a couple of days ago, how the hell did you get out of there?"

"Oh, a man as nice as myself tends to make friends in the most unlikely of places and it so happened that a nice marine Captain released me to help me escape in the chaos. I heard what you planned to do and thought I'd lend a hand in a way only I could. Damn it!" he suddenly cursed and Lin looked around for trouble "This was my best suit…" he was picking at the holes the sword had made when he was stabbed. "…I didn't think of my suit when I made that plan. What next then?"

Lin smiled despite the situation "Well, I need to go and find one of the Rear-Admirals, I suspect that they are holed up in the central hub, waiting this out."

"Actually, I saw…" whatever he saw was cut off as the door exploded beside them and two inmates came flying through followed by a rather large man brandishing a wicked looking axe.

"Vandred? How did you get out of your cell?" Lodestone cried as he noticed the immortal man.

"Uhhh…" was all Vandred could say but neither he, nor Lodestone, could say anything as Lin leaped upon the bearded man and cracked him in the jaw and crashed him to the ground by rolling into his chest. Lin then trapped his arms with his knees and put his face inches away from the beard, and Lodestone.

"Where is Jason Karnel?" he asked with a growl in the back of his throat.

"Karnel?" Lodestone replied, looking confused. His confused face was interrupted as Lin head butted him full in the face, spurting blood from his nose.

"I'll ask again; where is Jason Karnel?"

Lodestone wanted to resist, wanted to shout in Lin's face to get lost but the fury in the man's eyes stopped him. He found himself instead answering the question this pirate asked of him. "Leg 7, the Rear-Admirals in charge of the Legs that weren't going to be involved stayed at their posts; to make sure none of them get too riled up." _Why did I say that? _He thought to himself as Lin smiled a thank you and head butted him again, which knock him unconscious.

"Come on then, Vandred!" Lin said as he jumped to his feet and raced towards the exit that would lead him to the central hub. Vandred looked at Lodestone with surprise, he was meant to be strong, but then shrugged and sprinted after Lin in order to catch up with him.

As the dashed through the corridors, avoiding inmates and marines alike, they finally came to the large door which would lead them to the central hub. Lin was about to blast it open with a mighty kick but saw that it was already opened; it had somehow been unlocked at some point. Lin didn't even pause to see if it was a trap, he burst through and sprinted around the long circular corridor until he caught sight of a large door with a 7 carved into it. However, before he could break in he noticed something through a hole in the wall.

Chiketta was backing up against the outer wall, which was conspicuously empty of guards, and was surrounded by the remaining seven Rear-Admirals now that Lodestone had been taken care of.

"What in blazes is going on there?" was all he managed to say before the wall behind Chiketta exploded.

Doctor was sitting in his quarters when the explosions went off, exactly when Heller had explained they would. This also meant that he now knew all the cells were open as well as all the doors leading to the inner hub, except for legs 6-8 which were too dangerous to open according to Heller.

After Heller had finished her explanation of what was going to happen and left Doctor and Lin to talk away, they had made plans of their own. Doctor had two tasks to do before they left the island; he was to find Ortare Ingrill and do one of two things to him; take him hostage or rip the bomb out of his stomach and stitch him up as best he could. The second thing he had to do was find Jason Karnel and kill him. So it was because of the first objective that he was walking calmly towards the recovery room where he would find Ortare. Since his quarters were in the lower part of the central hub, the only people he had to avoid were marines suiting up to put down the riot and get things back in order.

He dodged a pair of marines who were arguing over who was going to get the rifle, and who the sword, and entered through a thin wooden door that led him to Ortare. The recovery room was there only for patients who couldn't sustain themselves were they to stay in their own cell. Ortare was one of them, considering he was in a full body cast since his ribs, legs, arms and jaw had been broken by Lin a couple of days ago. Ortare was conscious when Doctor entered and his eyes swivelled to him as he closed the door quietly behind him; his jaw had been wired shut so he couldn't speak.

"You now have a choice before you, a simple choice if you wish…" Ortare's eyes looked confused at the statement. "When I fixed you up, I also added something extra…a bomb in a cavity by your stomach." His eyes widened in surprise "and now the choice is, either I can take you with me and explode the bomb while it is still inside you…or I rip it out of you and stitch you up as best I can, which as you know is very well." It wasn't really a choice "So close your eyes if you want me to rip the bomb out of you or keep them open if you wish for me to take you with me."

There was a pause before Ortare rammed his eyelids shut and his eyes scrunched with the effort he used to keep them shut. "As you wish, but this is going to hurt." He stepped up close to Ortare and rested his palm against the place where he had placed the bomb, then with a powerful squeezing and pulling action he ripped the bomb free of flesh and held it in his hand. Blood spurted everywhere from Ortare as Doctor wiped the bomb clean and tied it to his waist with a piece of string. Then he left Ortare to bleed to death as he walked out and shut the door behind him, before walking casually down the corridor to his next goal.

He exited out of the under rooms and nearly bumped into Lin, who was staring out of a hole in the wall at something. Without saying anything Doctor walked up behind him and glanced out to see the same scene with Chiketta and the seven Rear-Admirals ganging up on him. Then the wall exploded.

_A/N: So the plan unfolds and things are getting exciting! But what are the Rear-Admirals up to, what is their real plan? You can guess that Lin and Doctor aren't going to leave them alone, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next exciting chapter heading your way soon! Yay!_


	38. Prison Break Phase 3

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the late update, it's that ruddy Skyrim again. But I won't hold you any longer, read on!_

**Prison Break: Phase 3**

Heller was stood in front of her bed, her belt was laid out along it and she had just finished packing the many pouches of it. She picked the belt up and fastened around her waist and then shifted it so it sat slanted at an angle. Like the other Rear-Admirals, her private quarters were located in the central hub, beneath the War room. She slipped the marine jacket along her shoulders and squared the cap on her head before heading out into the chaos which had begun minutes ago. She took a deep breath and then stepped out into the bustling hallway, she didn't have to move to avoid anyone as they saw who she was and bended around her.

She looked to her left and caught sight of the tall Pidar Iskin coming out of his room and as he caught her eye they both nodded and headed in opposite directions. Heller kept her calm as she strolled through the throng of Marines, nodding her thanks to Captains and the like who saluted her. During an emergency, it is decreed that the lower ranking marines do not salute in order to undertake any orders they are under in order to solve the situation effectively and efficiently. Which at this particular point, they were.

As she exited the inner ring, out into the corridor which held the doors leading to each Leg, she caught sight of Chiketta pushing his way through the marines to get to her. _Brilliant. _She thought as he got close enough to show he was sweating heavily.

"Heller! What the hell is going on!" He said through clenched teeth.

"Sir? It looks like it's a riot; it's a good thing we were in a perimeter lockdown for practice."

"A riot? Why have the Rear-Admirals allowed this to happen?"

"We didn't _allow _it to happen, we were at out monthly meeting. This has been carefully planned by someone in order to coincide with it. I suggest we stop wondering how it happened and get to courtyard 7." She started to walk past but he stepped into her way.

"Why a courtyard? Why that particular courtyard?" He asked, seemingly desperate for something.

"All the Rear-Admirals and Commodore's are meeting there to get things sorted and 7 was the first one that came to mind. Now can we stop chatting and get to the courtyard!" she pushed her way past and increased her pace in order to pressure the Vice-Admiral. _He's already tired, this will be even easier then we thought; we just have to keep him away from water!_ She rounded the bend and saw Karnel knocking an inmate out with the butt of a steel rapier, the long thin blade glinting in the light.

"Where'd the sword come from Karnel, I've never seen it before." Heller asked before she could stop herself.

"Oh I only use it rarely; it was a gift from my mother a long time ago." He said with a shrug before dodging a barrage of gunfire, which left a fair sized hole in the wall, and sliced through some inmates who had somehow got hands on firearms. "That could be a problem. Anyway, come this way and I'll let us into the courtyard." He unlocked the large doors with 7 embedded into them and the two followed him in, allowing him to lock it behind them and then followed him out into the courtyard, where they found Pidar Iskin, Lucy Feath, Oskar Riddle and Jordane Freiman.

"So we're only missing Lodestone and Odder." Just as Iskin spoke, a figure appeared through a side door in the 6th leg and stepped into the courtyard, smoke pluming off his burnt clothes.

"Where the hell did the inmates get hold of a flame thrower?" Avery Odder asked as he brushed himself down. "Luckily he was subdued quickly but it hurt like hell."

Heller ignored him "Have you seen Lodestone?"

"Yeah, he was charging into the 1st leg for some reason."

Karnel cursed quietly to himself. "Then we continue this without him." Heller said as the Rear-Admirals gathered close to her.

"What about the Commodores?" Feath asked, glancing at Chiketta.

"I think we can stop pretending now; Iskin, Odder, did you lock the doors you came out with?" The two officers nodded. "And I know Karnel locked the door behind us so we're all set."

"What are you talking about!" Chiketta called and started to walk towards the group, only stopping when Heller spun around sharply and glared at him.

As they stared at each other, the Rear-Admirals spread out so they made a slightly curved line in front of Chiketta with Heller in the middle, trapping the Fishman between a wall of rock and a wall of flesh. Chiketta didn't say anything but it dawned on him as Heller started to crack her joints, and the others drew weapons or stretched off.

"You've been trying to get me like this for days, haven't you?" He growled, pulling his marine coat free and throwing it to the floor.

The others didn't reply but copied his movement, removing the marine coats and letting them fall to the ground behind them, Heller adding in removing her hat and throwing it to the ground. Then she closed her fist, staring at it for a couple of second before looking up at Chiketta.

"Not at all, we only decided the plan yesterday really. It's also lucky that for some reason you already seem tired, why is that?"

"None of your business anymore, since I declare you traitors and you're all under arrest."

"Nice try Chiketta, but that doesn't mean anything if you are dead, and without any water for you to hide in, you can't beat one of us; let along 7 of us."

Chiketta swivelled around, as if looking for a way out, but the three sides in front of him were blocked by the Rear-Admirals and the wall behind him was too thick and strong for him to break. "You'll regret this, I'm a Vice-Admiral!"

"Correction, Chiketta, you _were _a Vice-Admiral. Sadly, you were ambushed during the riot by Leg 5 prisoners and together they managed to overpower and kill you. It is a pity…"

"I'm afraid that Heller is right, Chiketta." Iskin said, as he spun two long daggers around his hands. "You need to be removed from the delusion you seem to be living is."

Karnel suddenly laughed wickedly. "Also, you're an asshole."

Chiketta snarled, as much as he could with a fish face anyway, at the group "You are forgetting something, traitors." A look of confusion passed across everyone's face except for Heller's "I'm a Vice-Admiral and all Vice-Admirals are taught the art of Rokushiki, I can still fight." A look of concern followed the look of confusion but Heller stepped forward slightly and barked a laugh.

"Don't worry guys, he's bluffing. Although he tells the truth about Rokushiki, he doesn't know any of it. It is something that Fishmen are unable to learn, just as humans cannot learn Fishman Karate. So he has nothing except his natural Fishman strength and without the water to give him energy, he'll be finished within minutes."

Chiketta took in a couple of deep breaths and suddenly roared in anger, charging towards the Rear-Admirals. The seven marines suddenly tensed and took up fighting positions, ready to take on the power of a Vice-Admiral. Heller started to take a step back, locking her elbows into her sides, but before anyone could do anything the outer wall exploded in spectacular fashion, showing the courtyard with bits of rock and hiding everything from view with a cloud of dust.

The ship belonging to Lin and his crew was now back in open water, floating as close to Supaida island as they dared to avoid being spotted by any scouts that may be looking their way. However, the prison wouldn't be the only one scouting, and they weren't; Nemo was in the rigging, balancing skilfully on the ropes, with the scope to his eye, scouting out the area for a final time. The deadline he had set for Lin, one week to escape the prison on himself, had passed 45 minutes ago and he was trying to decide if he should wait any longer.

"Come on! If we're going to go through with this plan, we need to act now!" Marshall was shouting from the base of the mast, his long hair blowing in the wind. "His week is up, come on!"

Nemo didn't answer however, because as he watched the island multiple explosions erupted around the complex and suddenly the outer walls were guarded by soldiers that were never there before. "That could complicate things…" he said and climbed down quickly and handed the scope to Marshall without saying anything.

Marshall in turn didn't say anything as he raised the scope to his eye to look at the prison. This is where his silence ended "Well that's odd, that's a perimeter lock down, used when there is a riot going on…" he paused as he scanned the walls. "Except that there's a wall missing guards, what the hell is going on?"

"It doesn't matter; we'll go in through the wall without any guards."

"Uh without sounding like an idiot, isn't that obviously some kind of trap?" Marshall said, gesturing towards the prison.

"I suspect that it is, but not for us." Was all Nemo said before he turned and started to lower the row boat down the side of the ship. "Have you made up with Mayo yet?"

Marshall cringed "No, if we're all going in together then she'll probably try and kill me." He said it without any hint of a joke.

"I'll talk to her."

"There is nothing to talk about…" Mayo's voice said as she appeared from below deck, she was wearing her leather jacket and her swords were at her waist. She didn't look at Nemo but walked straight up to Marshall and stopped a couple of feet in front of him. "I'll let you live for this, but the moment we have Lin and we're off the Island, your life is mine." She said and then turned her back to give Nemo a hand with lowering the boat.

"Fine, but don't think I'll give it to you so easily." He said, adjusting the swords at his shoulder as he did so.

Once the boat was in the water, Mayo lowered the ladder and climbed down, taking the seat at the very front so she could keep her back to Marshall throughout the small journey they were going to make. Nemo was next down, his jacket flapping in the wind as he landed gently in the boat, just behind Mayo, his pipe now in hand. Marshall was last down but instead of climbing down the ladder, he jumped out to grab the pulley rope and used that to slide down to the boat, where he removed his swords to lie them down along the length of the boat and take up the oars; the job he lost to Nemo in Janken to do.

It took a couple of minutes longer then expected to reach the prison as they had to circle around some of it to get behind the wall that was empty of guards. Silently cutting through the mostly smooth water, Marshall managed to get them all the way up to the small rocky beach and they tied the tug rope to a small boulder that was sitting there. Nemo got out first and turned to face the other two with his sleep-deprived eyes, placing a finger across his lips in a shushing motion.

Marshall nearly snorted with laughter, he was about to smash a wall to pieces but Nemo was telling them to be quiet, but kept it in, coughing quietly to cover it up. He was last out of the boat and as Nemo and Mayo crept up to the wall, he slowly unhooked Ryuujin Toorima and held it low across his body. Nemo was on his right and Mayo was on his left as he reached the wall, both of them pressing themselves against the stone, as he lifted the large sword up high and pointed it towards the sky.

With a silent roar, he grasped the long handle with his other hand, and swung down with the force of an earthquake, which is basically what happened. His blade hit the stone and cut through it with ease and as it hit the rocky floor the gouge he had cut into the stone exploded outwards to leave a rather large gap in the wall; throwing all the broken bits of wall forwards into the space. Without so much as waiting for the dust to settle, Nemo and Mayo dodged into the gap and into the dust, followed swiftly by Marshall.

_A/N: And so it begins…keep eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way and thanks for all the reviews so far!_


	39. Prison Break Phase 4

_A/N: Sorry, I had temporary amnesia about putting a chapter out, which is why this is so late. Oh well, here it is now, so enjoy!_

**Prison Break: Phase 4**

Lin and Doctor didn't waste any time as the wall exploded, as the dust and rocks filled most of the courtyard they were smashing the way through their own wall, leaving Vandred looking bewildered in the corridor. It crumbled easily between the two of them and they both dashed onto the grass, heading vaguely in the direction Karnel had been before the dust cloud moved in. Doctor was one step behind so it was Lin who was first to come face to face with a woman with long blonde hair, although as Lin sidestepped to kick her in the gut he saw the look in her eyes and stopped mid-swing. Which was just as well as his foot was about to pierce itself on a large spike of compacted earth which was protruding through Feath's stomach.

"What the hell?" Doctor said before he was interrupted by a figure crashing into him and sending them both flying into the dust. Lin didn't waste time searching for him; he spun around and dashed forwards in the vain attempt to locate Karnel without being able to see. Then he heard a shout and slid to a stop when he recognised the voice, and with a quick sidestep he dodged a massive black blade that dug itself into the ground where he had been standing moments before.

_I know that blade! _"Marshall!" he cried and planted his fist into the man's stomach, sliding him back a couple of feet.

"Lin, what the hell are you doing here?" Marshall replied, pulling his sword to his side. "Your bounty isn't bloody hell large enough!"

"What am I doing here! Are you so content with killing me you'd break into a secure Marine base!"

"Not quite, I'm here with…" whatever he was about to say was interrupted as the very earth beneath their feet seemed to shift and suddenly the dust was swirling around in some sort of whirlwind. Marshall's hair was flapping wildly and Lin raised a hand to stop dusting getting in his eyes. The wind was a roaring so load that Lin couldn't hear what Marshall was saying, and it was strong enough that he actually thought he'd be ripped from the ground and set flying any second.

Then the dust suddenly crashed to the ground, like a strong wind and hit it from above, and the true situation was revealed, which completely baffled Lin. There were 12 people in the courtyard and the majority were the ones that Lin was expecting, the anomalies came when he noticed Mayo and Nemo fighting. The second baffling thing was that Heller was stood in the centre of the area with her arms outstretched, all the way to the fingers, and she had her palms facing the ground. Around her the earth was moving and creating spikes that were attempting to kill anyone that moved.

She spun around suddenly, as if to take in the situation, and her eyes widened at the sight of Lin but she continued full circle until she ended up facing the outer wall again. Nemo was locked pipe-to-hand with the Rear-Admiral Avery Odder, Mayo was swords to steel tonfa with Jordane Frieman, Doctor was planting a foot into Pidar Iskin's stomach, Karnel and Riddle was stood with their backs pressed to leg 7's wall. The only one missing was…

"CHIKETTA!" Heller roared and thrust her hand towards the outer wall, half curled in a claw. What resulted shocked everyone in the area; the wall rippled, literally like the surface of a pond when a stone is thrown in, before shattering into a thousand pieces. Heller spread her fingers and raised her hand, the fragments of rock lifting into the air as she did, and then by closing her fist the stones all shot into the water like bullets.

After a second or two of total silence and an absence of movement, everyone sprung into action again. Now that Lin could see Karnel, Marshall had dropped out of his mind, as had his crew and he dodged past Marshall and sprinted towards his target. At the same time Riddle had sprung forward and the two passed mid way before Marshall appeared in front of Oskar and batted him away with the flat of his blade and then chasing after him with as mile on his face. Lin heard Nemo shout something at him but he was too focused on Karnel to hear anything, and when Karnel saw him he's knees wobbled and he nearly collapsed there and then.

"Kindler!" Lin roared and Karnel actually fell to his knees with a look of pure terror on his face. However he recovered in time to dodge Lin's first kick, which obliterated the wall behind him, revealing cells full of criminals, which the kick hadn't touched.

"How do you know that name?" Karnel said as he gripped his rapier sword in his hand and scrambled to his feet.

When Lin had spoken to Doctor for the first time and he had discovered his original crew was still alive, he had said that he was no longer hunting for Resker's crew mates. However, with one of them in front of him now his rage took over and he couldn't stop himself as he remembered what he had seen on that fateful day.

"You may not recognise me but I sure as hell recognise you…" Lin said as slid to a stop and continued moving forward at a walk, oblivious to the sounds of battle around him. "It's not like I'd easily forget about someone like you, Ian Kindler. I'm going to kill you now." He said simply and dashed forward with enough speed that Karnel couldn't even raise his sword to defend himself. Not that he needed to as a large panel of stone appeared in front of him and Lin crashed into it and, to his surprise, didn't break through it. Instead, the panel split in half and pushed the two away from each other leaving Lin standing next to Heller who, with a wave of her hand, reduced the stone to rubble.

"What the hell are you doing here, Lin!" She cried, grabbing hold of his collar with a firm grip. "Didn't I tell you to stay the hell away?" Lin ignored her and turned his head to see Karnel slipping into Leg 7 through the broken wall.

"Get off me, Heller." He said calmly and took a grip of her hand which made her gasp and let go. "I'm not letting him get away." He turned to run after Karnel, leaving a confused Heller, but before he could, Karnel came flying out of the building at slid to a stop at Lin's feet with his sword just out of reach. Lin's second of confusion vanished when Doctor stepped over the rubble and started to walk towards the fallen Karnel.

"How did he get there, he was fighting Iskin!" Heller said and spun to see the dark-skinned marine sitting on the floor with his head pointing the wrong way. "What the…" was all Heller could say before she spun back to Lin and Doctor who was advancing on Karnel, who looked rightly terrified.

The two pirates stopped and looked down at Karnel, who had started to shake, and then clenched their fists slowly. "He's not dead! He's not dead!" Karnel shouted, cowering behind his arms "He's not dead!"

"Oh, I know that…but you I can never forgive you I'm afraid." Doctor said as flexed his fingers, cracking his knuckles as he did so.

"Lin, you have to get out of here!" Heller shouted, sliding forward to grab his shoulder, causing him to twist towards her. "Chiketta isn't hiding; he's drawing power so that he can knock us all out at the same time!"

"Chiketta doesn't worry me."

"But what about your crew?" Lin started and looked across to Mayo and Nemo who were struggling against the powerful Rear-Admirals. As he watched, Mayo was knocked to the ground and Frieman raising one of his tonfa to attack her. Lin turned his head back to Doctor, who nodded, before disappearing in a flash.

In an instant he was upon Frieman, grabbing hold of the attacking tonfa, flipping over his head, and pulling the weapons free to throw them away. Frieman spun around in surprise only for Lin to literally jump up and crush him to the floor where Lin grabbed either side of his head and twisted violently; leaving Frieman's arms and legs to drop limply to the ground as he died.

"Lin!" Mayo said as Lin spun to face her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay here Mayo." Was all he said before disappearing again, leaving Mayo looking bewildered.

When he reappeared his outstretched fingers were inches away from Odder's face and the marine hardly had time to widen his eyes in surprise before Lin clasped his hand around his head and drove it into the floor, hard. Then he did it again, and again, before lifting him into the air and punching him in the guy hard enough to move his body into the air as he let go of his head. As Odder floated down, Lin delivered another punch into his gut but this time with much more power and Odder cried out before dropping down to his hands and knees. Lin didn't give him any time to rest though as he straddled him and grasped his head firmly between his hands before wrenching violently, snapping his neck completely.

He let Odder fall to the ground and stepped across to help Nemo up, who had been crouched on the ground clutching a bleeding nose. Nemo stood up before he got there and was bout to speak but Lin beat him to it. "I'm glad to see you've come, but there is nothing to say just yet." then he rested his hand on his friends shoulder and Nemo's vision went blurry and he felt as if he was walking through a hurricane before it stopped and he was stood next to Mayo. "Right then you guys, stay here." He was about to move again but Nemo grabbed his arm.

"What about Marshall?" he said and nodded across to Marshall who was fighting against Riddle.

Lin turned his head to look and saw that Marshall was losing, he had cuts all over him but he had seemed to avoid any critical injuries. However, Riddle hadn't a cut on him anywhere; even his clothes were still undamaged. "So?"

"He came here to save you." Lin raised an eyebrow but turned back to Marshall with a strange look. "If we're going, he has to come with us."

"Mayo?" Lin asked before turning to her. She hesitated but then nodded her agreement, so Lin shrugged and disappeared, arriving by Marshall in a blink of an eye.

He appeared above Marshall just as the large swordsman took a step back to avoid a powerful slash from Riddle. As such Lin flipped forward and planted a foot into Riddle's surprised face that sent him flying backwards so far he splashed into the sea, where he appeared floating face down. Marshall had his sword ready to strike but stopped as he saw it was Lin who had appeared.

"Well at least it seems you aren't actively trying to kill me anymore." Lin said before punching Marshall in the gut with enough force to make him keel forward and fall to his knees. "That's for California Island." He said before he picked up Marshall's sword with one hand while grabbing hold of Marshall himself with the other. In a blur they both arrived next to Mayo and Nemo, and Marshall struggled to his feet as Lin handed his sword back to him; Lin didn't miss the hateful glare Mayo shot at Marshall but he ignored it for the moment. "Right then, now you can stay here." He said and turned towards Doctor and Karnel.

However he didn't move because Doctor was walking towards him with the swordsman on his shoulder and Heller at his back. Lin ignored Heller and walked up to Doctor "Why isn't he dead?"

"I have some questions to ask him." Doctor said darkly, as Heller stepped forward to confront Lin.

"This wasn't part of the plan at all; you've killed all the Rear-Admirals!" She said, nearly shouting.

"Not yet…" Lin said, just as darkly as Doctor. "But I'm done here, we're leaving." He turned to go but Heller grabbed his arm.

"If you think…think…think…" Her eyes had flicked over Lin's shoulder and she was frozen as she stared at something.

"I think we're going to have to move faster." Doctor said and pointed, causing Lin to spin round to see a massive wave rearing into the air with Chiketta at its tip.

"Everyone stay still, I'm going to show you something nice; don't ask questions, I'll explain later." Then without tearing his gaze away from Chiketta, his body started to change, becoming like glass until rainbows were scattered around from the light passing through his body. Then he started to change back, except the substance didn't just disappear it slid off his body until a large circle and formed around the group and as Chiketta started to charge forward with the wave at his feet, jagged spike rose around the edges of the circle until a dome blocked out the view.

"What the hell…" Nemo said as he walked up to the substance and rested his hand against it. "Diamond?" However, before Lin could answer the wave crashed into them and they all staggered, but none of the liquid managed to make its way into the dome.

"Chiketta was right, you are him." Heller said as she stared at Lin in amazement.

"He was, but now it's time for me and my crew to get out of here, a Vice-Admiral is different from a Rear-Admiral and me and Doctor have someone to deal with." Lin jerked his thumb at the unconscious Karnel.

"Fair enough, leave Chiketta to me; he was my goal anyway." Heller said.

_A/N: Wasn't that exciting, I thought so! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and keep those eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way. (Which is awesome by the way.)_


	40. The Earth Vs The Sea

_A/N: And here comes another incredibly late chapter. I blame Christmas and New Year this time. Speaking of which, I hope you had a good one (or two, if you count both of them) and read on!_

**The Earth Vs The Sea**

Heller watched as Lin and his crew headed off the island using a pathway made out of Diamond that Lin had constructed, which moved along with them as they ran. At one point Chiketta had appeared with an attempt to knock them into the water with a wave, but with a single punch from Doctor he was blown all the way to the island where he was now pulling himself to his feet. He had a look of thunderous anger on his face as he started to move towards the water again. However, Heller wasn't about to let that happen and stamped her foot which caused a wall of earth to pop up in front of Chiketta and knock him backwards, into the enclosed courtyard.

He growled and spun to face Heller "I don't know how the hell you managed to get a position here with a Devil Fruit, but I'm going to kill you for it."

"Heh, you can try fish brains." Heller said as she reached behind her head and quickly plaited her already plaited hair into a thick single one running down her back. "I'm not going to kill you, so no need to worry there, because if I catch you alive you're worth a cool 300 million."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Did you think Pirates were the only people in the world with bounties on their heads? Did you think the Marines are the only organisation in the world with enough money to offer bounties? I work for _them_…I'm a Marine Hunter."

"A marine hunter? What a preposterous thing to say, there exists no such thing!" Chiketta exclaimed, flexing his muscles as he slowly walked towards Heller.

"You're more stupid if you think we'd actually tell about any bounties marine officers may have acquired. Also, we'd also have to tell people where to drop the bodies of and such and things would get quite complicated. Only the very best can become Marine Hunter's, the test is quite hard." Heller smiled and stretched her arms, cracking her knuckles in the process.

"Sarah Heller…I'll have your name fouled as a traitor."

"Well, it might help if you actually knew my real name…" Chiketta's eyes widened in shock. "The names Hellerford and I'm here to beat you to a pulp and claim your bounty." With that declaration, the newly named Hellerford took up some sort of martial arts position. She had her right knee bent slightly at the knee with her left leg extended slightly forward of her right with the knee bent as well, her elbows were clamped to her sides and she held her fingers straight with the palms uppermost, her arms pointing outwards. "Now, I'm not here to chat."

Chiketta had recovered from his shock and crossed his arms across his chest. "You think that because I'm out of the water, you have the advantage? You forgot that I am Fishman _and _a Vice-Admiral." He took a small step forwards and as he did so, uncrossed his arms and punched forward with his right hand. He was too far away for it to be a physical punch but as his punch reached its apex, a thick burst of water smashed through the rock wall and flew towards Hellerford.

Hellerford wasn't perturbed, or surprised, and imitated his movement; taking a step forward, but instead of a punch she sliced her hand up through the air. As she did this a section of earth shot out of the ground, diagonally, and sliced through the water attack, splashing the salty substance over the floor and creating puddles. "It's not going to be that simple…I know that you're thinking you have the advantage by using Sea Water, but you'll discover soon enough that that won't be enough." Hellerford smirked and returned to her original position, albeit a step forwards.

Chiketta growled and took another step forward, this time his webbed hand slicing through the air like Hellerford had done. More water crashed through the thin wall and headed towards Hellerford, this time as a large blade of water. As Hellerford moved her feet to react, the blade of water split up so that there as 5 spikes flying towards her. This time she spun around and raked her hand across the air like a claw and as she stamped her foot down, a large chunk of the earth ripped out of the ground and flung itself towards the water; where the sheer mass of it smashed it into the ground.

"Ok, so you're better then I thought."

"And I haven't even gone on the offense yet."

Without replying, Chiketta clenched his fist and brought them tight into his body before punching with both hands into the air which caused a massive column of water to shoot into the air behind Chiketta. Then he punched the ground and the water swung forwards before it ended up directly above Hellerford and was flying down at her with immense speed. Again, Hellerford hardly showed any reaction as the water raced towards her and instead she stamped her right foot forward and raised her hands an inch. As she did so a square formed around her by an inch before shooting up as triangles and formed a human-sized pyramid around her body.

The water crashed into this pyramid and although the force was great, thanks to the shape it split into four and washed away from it. Inside the pyramid, Hellerford waited until the water stopped and then hit the side in front of her with her palm and sent it flying towards Chiketta. She didn't stop there as her hands shot outwards and stabbed into the walls left and right of her and flicked her wrists to send them flying forwards as well. Finally, she flipped forward and allowed her foot to dig into the back wall and using the momentum to flip it over her head she sent that flying at the Fishman marine as well.

Chiketta smashed the first wall into a thousand pieces with a centre placed punch, managed to dodge the next two by squeezing himself through the centre, and then chopped the last one in half with a well timed hand chop. However, Hellerford and changed to offense and was directly behind the last wall, charging at Chiketta through the dust he created by smashing the rock in the first place. She closed in fast and Chiketta throw a punch aimed at her head, which she blocked with a raised palm. However the muscled Chiketta was much stronger then the thinner Hellerford and she was forced back.

But she wasn't a novice to close quarter's battle so she used the momentum of his punch to rotate her body and landed a heavy kick to his chin which sent him sprawling backwards and she completed a flip and landed in a crouch and one hand balancing her. There was no dawdling as she shot forward and as Chiketta threw another punch, Hellerford dodged it and slid beneath his legs, as she came up she dragged a long shaft of solid earth as she did.

Chiketta was quick to react though and spun around to deliver a powerful punch to her gut. She tried to block it with her new staff but it snapped under the force and she was sent flying backwards; so far that she ended up flying over the surface of the water. Chiketta smiled and dived into the water, using the impressive speed of a swimming Fishman to catch up to her and snatch her out of the air to drag her under the water.

Instead of crying out as she was grabbed, she took as much air into her lungs as she could in the short second she had to react. Chiketta knew that the fight was over, but didn't want to risk anything, dragging her deeper and deeper until his feet touched the sea bed. Hellerford's body had gone limp but she managed to raise her head to stare Chiketta in the eye.

_You're finished. _Chiketta thought and then suddenly reeled back in pain as Hellerford delivered a perfectly placed head but into the bridge of his nose. Blood floated into the water and Chiketta released Hellerford to grab at his nose. Hellerford used the opportunity and kicked him in the chest to push herself away from him. She flipped slowly in the water and came to a rest in a half crouch, glaring at Chiketta who had managed to stem the flow of blood from his nose.

_How is she moving! _Chiketta thought desperately, as he watched Hellerford keep herself under water with movements of her arms and legs. _How is she moving! _Hellerford clearly knew what he was thinking because she smirked. Then before he could do anything she spun around in the water, her arms outstretched, and a section of the earth rotated around them so they were locked in a dome. Then the floor started rising, except that neither Chiketta nor Hellerford were moving with it. It completely filled the dome, locking Chiketta in place, before it carried on rising until the dome was a dome again and it was filled with air instead of water.

"I used the earth to push out all the water and give us a little pocket of air to talk…I'm sure you have a very important question to ask me." Hellerford said, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"How is it you can move in water?" he asked sternly, crossing his own arms.

"Didn't I say that sea water wouldn't be enough?"

"But having a devil fruit and being able to swim is impossible!"

"I'll give you a clue, you're the one who came to a conclusion I had a Devil Fruit." And with that she suddenly punched her arms out and slapped the dome with the back of her hands which caused it to suddenly collapse around them, allowing the water to smash into Chiketta and Hellerford. Hellerford didn't react to the massive pressure of water and instead punched her hands into the air, and she shot upwards on a pillar of earth; heading for the surface. She broke the surface quickly and then by extending her arms the column became a large platform about 15 metres in diameter and about 5 feet thick.

Underwater, Chiketta recovered after being thrown around by the rush of water and swam quickly upwards. He soon saw the large platform Hellerford had created and sped up to crash into it at full speed. This didn't have any effect on the rock apart from the fact that it started to weave itself around him in an attempt to snare his body. With a violent twist, Chiketta ripped free and circled around until moving to the surface to stick his head out of the water.

As soon as his head cleared the surface he had to duck back quickly again as a disk of rock span past him at high speeds. He popped his head up again and saw that Hellerford had a thin column in front of her and as she chopped at it with her hands, she sent a disc of it flying towards him, then the column bumped up slightly so it wouldn't get lower. Chiketta ducked under again and dodged to the right and as he came up this time he punched forward, sending a torrent of water heading towards Hellerford.

She saw the attack coming but instead of dodging, all she did was twist her foot slightly and a panel swivelled out of the ground, blocked the water, and then disappeared back into the ground. Then without hesitation, she kicked the column in front of her and sent it flying like a javelin, heading straight for Chiketta. The Fishman quickly submerged, dodging the attack by millimetres; however he had fallen into her trap as a larger column smashed into him and sent him flipping through the water before crashing into the bed.

Then the sea bed itself started to move and wrapped itself around Chiketta like the platform had attempted to do before, except this time it was a lot fast and before Chiketta could get himself free, he was trapped. Then the floor started to raise, and Chiketta was above the water on a square column rising just above the platform, with Hellerford below, cracking her knuckles.

"I'm going to tell you a secret…" She started but stopped when Chiketta shattered the rock holding his right arm.

"There is no need, sufficient time has passed."

Then he roared and broke free completely, leaping towards Hellerford. The Marine Hunter dodged to blow easily and started to move the earth to capture him again but his strike didn't just stop at the rocky surface; it smashed into it and the whole platform shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Oh shit…" Hellerford said as she dived into the water.

_A/N: Cliff Hanger! Yeah, I like them. :) Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way._


	41. You May Have Heard of Me?

_A/N: I didn't plan for this one to take so long to come out, but I was working on another project (unrelated to fan fiction) that took most of my attention. So without further adieu, read on! _

**You May Have Heard Of Me…**

The group sprinted along the strange bridge, which moved along with them, until Lin suddenly slid to a stop and spun around. He could hear the fight going on back at the island but chose to ignore it. "Right then, Nemo, where's the ship?" he asked, looking around for any sign of it.

"Over there." Nemo pointed and Lin could just about see the ship on the horizon.

"You took the rowing boat all the way from there?"

"Marshall was rowing."

"Fair enough, right then, follow me." And with that he started sprinting in the direction of the ship, the diamond forming under his feet as he ran and disappearing from behind Doctor, who was at the back with Kernal over his shoulder

The run took about 10 minutes and it was done in silence, only the sounds of feet on stone could be heard as well as the beginnings of heavy breathing. When the reached the side of the ship, Lin launched himself into the air and landed gracefully on the railing before reaching down and throwing a rope ladder over the side towards them. Mayo climbed up first, making sure that Nemo was between her and Marshall at all times; Nemo then was second to climb up, followed by Doctor with Kernal over his shoulder. Just as Lin was about to pull the ladder back up he realised Marshall was still in the boat.

"Oi, you coming on or not?"

"It is not my ship; I cannot simply board it at random."

Lin paused to raise an eyebrow. "Seriously…?" Marshall remained silent but nodded. "You are weird, but you have permission to come aboard." Marshall nodded again and quickly traversed the ladder, which took about two steps because he was so tall. "Right then, I have two things. First…" he suddenly disappeared and then reappeared in the same place, except he was holding Rekishichizu and Ruujin Toorima in his right hand and resting them on his shoulder. "…and secondly you need to cut your hair." As if on cue, the lower half of Marshall's long, spiky hair dropped to the floor; leaving him with hair just below his shoulders.

"Are you really this strong?" He asked quietly, not even reacting to Lin's movements, and when Lin didn't reply he continued. "You just moved at speeds I couldn't even react to, you're holding those two swords like they were made of paper, you killed the invincible Kumar and escaped from one of the best prisons in the world. Are you really that strong?"

Lin didn't reply straight away and beckoned everyone to follow him, which they did, to lead them to the small kitchen. With the 5 of them, one of which was Marshall, it was very cramped but Lin took a seat at the head of the tables. Nemo sat on his right, Mayo on his left, Marshall on Nemo's side but against the wall and Doctor leant against the counter, he had thrown Kernal into Lin's room on the way down.

"Yes I really am that strong, and now it's about time I told you the truth about who I am. But first, introductions!" he slapped the table and pointed at Doctor suddenly, making the people in the room jump. "Nemo, Mayo, and I suppose Marshall as well, meet the infamous Dr Doctor Umbra!" the reactions were pretty much his prediction, extreme shock.

Marshall even went a bit further when he spoke. "You have got to be shitting me…"

"I shit you not!" Was Lin's reply as he began laughing "But anyway, now we get to who I really am…" he paused suddenly and looked across to Doctor "Can you lower the sail and get us out of the immediate area? I can still feel the rumblings of battle and I don't want some rowdy marines, or inmates for that matter, using us from firing practice." Doctor nodded and left through the small door, closing it behind him with a small click. "Right, about who I really am."

"You obviously recognised Doctor's name, but I presume only by name since none of you were actually born when we were famous…" Marshall coughed and Lin looked across to him.

"Actually, I was 12 years old at the time. I've met Doctor Umbra before."

"Really? That's impressive, and I thought you were much younger then that. So do you remember the crew Doctor was part of?"

"They were known as The Golden Age, a group of pirates so powerful only Admiral's and the Shichibukai were allowed to confront them."

Lin smiled. "Right, now who was the most powerful in their crew?"

Marshall went to speak and then stopped, and the others watched as his jaw nearly dropped. "No way, no bloody way. You're him?" Lin nodded with a smile. "You're really fucking him?" Again, Lin nodded. "You're Riku Tiverman!" Lin's smile froze on his face and he fell forward to smack his head against the table before springing up again.

"Of course not, dumbass! Would a crew member be more powerful then the Captain?" He shook his head with exasperation to prevent Marshall from answering. "I am Kai Velure…" he watched their reactions, but was surprised when there wasn't any. "Hello, have you all gone into shock or something?"

"No, who the hell is Kai Velure?" Marshall said

"What do you mean 'Who is Kai Velure', I was the Captain of The Golden Age!"

"I thought a swordsman was the Captain, and I've never seen you use a sword." Marshall said

"I heard it was a Storm-Maker who was Captain." Nemo put in, while Mayo remained silent and glaring; glaring mostly at Marshall.

"That's ridiculous, I was super famous! The name is still super famous, or infamous if you want, how can you not know who I am?" He suddenly burst out laughing and laid his head against the table. "This is brilliant, absolutely brilliant..." he managed while giggling like some sort of crazy man.

"_Lisa! Lisa, are you there?" Kai Velure, Captain of The Golden Age, stomped his way through the ship in search of his Musician. "Lis…" he stopped as he rounded a corner and nearly sent the orangey haired woman flying to the floor. "There you are, where've you been."_

_Lisa turned around with an eyebrow raised before she spoke. "None of your business, Kai. What did you want?"_

_"How famous am I?"_

"_You were screaming like a crazy man to ask me that?" Lisa said incredulously "What compelled you to suddenly want to know how famous you are?"_

"_My bounty has just broken the 300 million mark, I'm now worth 350 million beri, how cool is that? But that's not all; I want to know how famous I am because I want to know how many bounty hunters are going to come after me."_

"_And why the hell would I know that more then any of the others."_

"_They've all gone into the city and I can't be bothered searching around for them. Being as intelligent as you are, I'm sure you know how famous I am."_

"_Pretty." Lisa said with a sarcastic smile and beckoned Kai to follow her._

"_Pretty what?" he asked as they walked._

"_Pretty famous, in fact I've had Lucy collect newspapers, Marine reports and the like, if it referred to us in any way. There is quite a collection and of course most of that is to do with the Captain, you." She led him through 3 corridors before reaching a bulge in the wall which turned out to be some sort mechanical device; because when she and Kai stepped in the door slid shut and they started rising slowly._

"_These new devices are way cool, what has Robert called them?" Kai asked, running his hand across a series of buttons._

"_He hasn't called them anything yet because he can't think of anything other then describing what it does 'lift'. And calling it a 'Lift' would be very strange."_

"_Fair enough." They exited through the sliding door and walked to the end of the corridor, Kai opening the door and then ushering Lisa through in a gentlemanly manner. "Now then, where's all this…holy crap!" he had interrupted himself because the room they had entered had newspaper clippings stuck to the wall, and piles of paper surrounding the edges. Each and every piece of paper had a coloured tag attached to it and after a quick scan, Kai came to a conclusion. "A colour for each of the Commanders, and then one for me?"_

"_Correct, you've got grey, I've got orange, Razor's got red, Doctor has turquoise, Jigan has crimson, Mojaye has yellow, Riku has blue, Ruther has brown, and Zion has black." She walked forward and grabbed one of the papers of the top, one tagged with a grey slip, and handed it to Kai. "And this is why your bounty suddenly shot up."_

_On the front cover was Kai's wanted poster picture, him taking on three marines with one in a headlock, and the headline 'He Strikes Again'. The story was about Kai's recent run in with the marines, and more importantly where he had taken down one of the Admirals. "I remember that, that was good fun."_

"_You were lucky Doctor was around, I'm pretty sure Akainu kicked the crap out of you."_

"_What, just because he sucked half of me into that weird dimension of his? Baloney! But it doesn't matter because I still won in the end, but what has this got to do with how famous I am?"_

"_You really are hopeless."_

"Lin? Lin?" Lin suddenly jumped up to find Nemo next to him, shaking him by the shoulder. "You alright, Lin?"

Lin sat up straight and realized that he had somehow dozed off; his mind had taken him back to old days. "Sorry about that, I'm obviously more tired then I thought I was. Also, I'm so upset you've never heard of me! I'll have to correct that in the coming days. Nemo, Mayo, you're free to go; I need to talk to Marshall." Nemo nodded and strode out of the room, Lin waited for Mayo to follow suite but she remained stock still, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Mayo, that means I want to talk to Marshall alone."

"I want to speak to you first, alone." She stared at Lin and her Captain returned the stare, neither one yielding. "Damn it! I will not be on a ship while this man is on it as well!" as she cursed she slammed her hand onto the table and used the other one to point at Marshall. "I am owed his head!"

Marshall stood up slowly, his height meaning he had to bend his neck slightly to fit in the room. "I believe I told you I would not give it for free."

The two stared at each other until Lin hit the table himself to get their attention. "I don't exactly know what the hell is going on here, but I guess this has something to do with Judicator Island? But that's in the past; I'm inviting Marshall to join the crew."

"Are you fucking stupid?" Mayo shouted, her uncommon use of swearing making it much more profound. "I can't believe I considered becoming a pirate with you, leaving the people I should be leading! The people that _he _ruined, the people _he _killed! Don't expect to see me again." She spun around, the look of pure rage clear in her eyes, before stomping to the door and passing through it like a hurricane.

"Shit." Lin said as he jumped up to follow her.

Mayo arrived on the deck just as Doctor was dropping the anchor, an island a couple of meters in front of them. He started to say something but Mayo breezed past him and jumped over the side, neatly diving into the sea. Doctor immediately dashed to the side but Lin beat him there.

"Mayo! Mayo!" he started to climb up to dive in himself but Doctor grabbed him.

"Don't be stupid, she looks like she needs time to cool off. Also, you can't swim, idiot."

Lin dropped down to the deck and watched as Mayo walked up onto the beach, glance back at the ship, and then disappear into the trees, heading towards the centre of the island. "Doctor, scan the island."

Doctor raised an eyebrow but nodded before sitting cross legged on the deck, he then started to inhale. The breath was deep; he inhaled, and inhaled, and inhaled, and inhaled until it seemed he'd sucked out all of the air around the ship. Then he suddenly exhaled, and exhaled, and exhaled, for an equal amount of time he had inhaled.

"There are two moderate sized villages on the far side of the island. The island itself isn't monstrously large but it's fairly so; it's not as big as Supaida."

"That'll be where she ends up then." He suddenly spun around and grabbed Marshall's round the throat to drag his head close to his own. "What the hell happened between you two?"

"I killed her friends, her family…"

"No, after that."

"What do you mean?"

"Do not test my patience, something happened between the time we left the Judicator Island and the time you guys attack The Spider. What…happened?"

Marshall hesitated but when Lin started to apply pressure to his throat he started talking. "I talked to her, but she went crazy and said that she was going to kill me after we rescued you. I said it won't be so easy, and I wouldn't let her take me down without a fight."

"Fuck!" Lin released Marshall, who reared back to rub his neck where a red mark had appeared, and punched a hole into the railing.

"It looks like you need to calm down as well." Doctor said

Lin spun to face him, but as he looked at him his anger leaked out of him. "Fine." Was all he said before disappearing into his office.

"You guys go and get some sleep; I have a feeling we're going to be doing things tomorrow." Doctor said and ushered Marshall and Nemo into the crew's quarters, before returning to the prow and sitting down by the steering wheel. "You've gotten even more angry since I last saw you." He muttered before stretching off and heading below deck again. "Too bad I won't be getting any sleep, I've got someone to take care of before then."

_A/N: Oh no, Mayo! The team has split, and not on good terms! And was does Doctor have planned for Kernal? Keep eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter, and the start of a new arc!_


	42. A Small Village's Mayor

_A/N: So here we are, onto new and exciting things. More specifically, welcome to a brand new Arc! I have nothing else to say (apart from this Arc is awesome) so read on!_

**A Small Village's Mayor**

Mayo had given up running about an hour ago, as soon as the sun had begun to set on the horizon. Her rage at Marshall had kept her running, her anger at Lin kept her running, and her decided return to Judicator Island had kept her running. However, now that the anger had subsided slightly, she realised how stupid her diving act had been. Not because she was considering going back to Lin, she was definitely returning to her home, but because she had no idea if this island was even inhabited. She was now walking along slowly, decided what her next step should be.

However as she took another step an arrow appeared from within the surrounding trees and embedded itself into a tree trunk; inches away from Mayo's face. She spun around to face the direction the arrow had come, hands dropping to her swords, but before she could act, a rope appeared out of the ground and slammed her in the chest, dragging her backwards until her back hit a tree. Mayo tried to pull forward but the rope grew taught so that she couldn't move an inch. Then out of the tree line came a number of men, all of them holding long spears with the exception of the one out front who held a long bow up in front of him, an arrow notched.

"I told you some would appear soon." One man said, stepping out of the shadows to reveal himself. He stood tall and confident, with a head of long brown hair, strangely he was wearing some type of uniform, complete with a steel cuirass on his chest, steel backed gloves and steel faced boots, the cloth underneath was a light beige colour and he wore a sabre on his left hip. "This is probably the closest island after all."

"She doesn't look like any sort of escaped prisoner." Another man said, stepping out of the shadows to reveal he was wearing the same uniform as the other, sword included, except his hair was cut close to his head. Strangely, the two in uniform were the only two to be wearing such attire, the other men simply sporting clean, but ragged green coloured clothing.

The man with the bow loosened his hold on the string and held the weapon low across his body, leaving the arrow in place though. He walked forwards slowly until he was only a couple feet in front of Mayo, the appearing moon giving light to show off his features. He was middle aged, aging wrinkles starting to appear on his face and his brown hair was flecked with a fair amount of grey. His eyes were dark blue and the look they were giving Mayo was more wary then hostile.

"What is your name, young female?" He asked, his voice slow and pondering.

Mayo hesitated briefly and the rope holding her to the tree tightened around her chest. "My name is Mayo Savilia."

The man's solemn face widened with a friendly smile. "I am Fester; I am the Mayor of Charlton. I…" he suddenly paused in realization. "…release the ropes, fools. She is no enemy or escaped prisoner."

Mayo took a relieved breath when the rope dropped to the floor in front of her, giving her the room to take a step forward and stretch out her arms. As she did, two burly men stepped out from behind the tree, one of which was coiling the rope around his arm, to stand next to Fester.

"What village do you come from, Mayo?" Fester asked politely, slipping the bow over his shoulder to free his hands.

"It is unlikely you will recognise the name, it's not on this island after all." Mayo said as the mayor raised his eyebrows. "I came from Judicator Island?"

"Interesting, that is not so near to here." Fester said and instantly the two burly men from before stepped forward. "But it does not mean ill will is afoot, would you care to join me in town?" he waited for Mayo's nod and then led her away into the forest, the path lit by the light of the moon. The rest of the people gathered close behind him with the exception of the two uniformed men, who dropped back to separate themselves from the group.

It was a short walk before Mayo caught sight of torch lights in the distance, the orange flames making the shadows dance. "Is that the village?" She asked, trying her best to see through the gaps.

"This is not the village, no. This is the location of the White Eagle's camp that I've allowed them to have. The village is just past it."

"White Eagle's?"

"Let me answer that question." One of the uniformed men suddenly bounded up and pushed himself between Mayo and Fester. "I am Radal, Captain of the Occasus Legion, Tertius Squadron of the Order of the White Eagle. You have not heard of The Order?" Now he was closer, Mayo could see an Eagle flying out of a sunrise engraved into the shining cuirass.

"I'm afraid not."

"What about the Order of the White Phoenix? The newspapers seem adamant on incorrectly calling us that."

"Not that either, I'm afraid my island has been occupied with personal matters for a while now so news is lost to us."

"That is a shame, if you had heard of us there is no doubt you would have called us to your aid long ago." He smiled at her and Mayo nearly shuddered. "We of The Order are dedicated in bringing order to the lands of the world, bringing peace where the Marines and the so-called World Government have failed. If we were in charge, we would not be in this age of piracy."

"So you're revolutionaries?"

"The Lord prefers conquerors."

"…and that sounds so much better."

"Do not judge us so quickly Domina Savilia, come to the camp tomorrow and I shall explain further. For now, my associate and I will have to bid you a good night." And with a quick two fingered salute and an ushering gesture to the other soldier, the two of them disappeared into the ranks of tents that made up the Camp.

"Strange people those Order fellows are." Fester said, appearing back at Mayo's side. "But apparently harmless, so I let them Camp here and convert whoever wishes to convert." He paused as his mouth turned down in a frown. "But alas, welcome to Kikuboshi."

It wasn't the most impressive town Mayo had seen; the higher echelon ones on her own island were much more impressive. However, it was in better condition then the lower ones at the same time. It was built much in the same way every normal town was, in straight rows leading to a central area which in Kikuboshi's case held some sort of memorial statue. As they got closer Mayo realised that it looked a lot like Fester, maybe a couple of years older.

"My father…" Fester said, nodding sadly. "A great hero for Kikuboshi, fighting off over a hundred pirates before the marines could get here. He took down all but the Captain by himself before he lost his life."

"A hundred pirates!"

"Yes, some rookie pirate crew thought that by eradicating towns they could get high bounties, the fools. But that story is for another time, for now, I suggest you find a room in the hotel and get some sleep, you look tired."

"I don't have any money."

"No problem, I think our less then welcome greeting in the forest is worth a room for the night. We will talk further tomorrow about how to get you back to your island." And with that he disappeared into a nearby house and left Mayo standing alone in the middle of a strange town.

She was about to go and ask Fester where the hotel was, when she saw the large sign, sitting above the door of a building on the opposite side of the square. She walked up to it, pulling her jacket together as a sudden chill ran through her body, and pushed open the door to the building. Inside she found that the whole bottom floor had been converted into a bar; a long bar ran along the right hand wall and a number of circular tables were placed in the centre of the room, longer rectangular tables were against the far left wall, able to seat 12 people each. Surprisingly, it was close to full considering the time of day.

No-one seemed interested in the new arrival, keeping themselves to the groups they were in, so Mayo walked across to the bar and drew the attention of the man behind it. He had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and shining white teeth which he flashed as he smiled. Before Mayo could say anything however, he beat her there.

"You must be Mayo Savilia. I was told that the Mayor has offered you a room for the night and I've got no problem with it. I've given you room 2b, top floor second on the right. Would you care for a…oh I suppose you don't have any money."

Again, someone beat her to it as she began to speak. "From what I hear, she could do with a glass of wine, I'll pay for it." A man said from along the bar.

The man stood up and made his way across to Mayo, taking a seat at the bar next to where she was standing. His skin was very dark, close to black, and made his blue eyes shine despite their dullness. His hair was long and pitch black, styled into dreadlocks which he let hang around his head and resting lightly against his shoulders. He was wearing a black t-shirt over hard muscles and a sleeveless jacket with a hood hanging down the back over that. Green camouflaged trousers covered his legs and he wore heavy black boots on his feet. Most noticeably, however, was the long katana he had on his left hip. Just from what Mayo could see, it was an extravagant item; longer then a standard katana, the scabbard was a deep sea blue, with a single white pearl in the centre. The guard was a plain cross shape and the handle was coloured a moss green, dropping from the hilt was a thin length of yellow rope, about 4 inches long.

"I'm only 15, you know." Mayo said, crossing her arms in front.

"A fine age to start drinking, in fact I'm surprised you haven't started already." He replied, his eyes still locked onto her and his mouth compressed in a small frown which Mayo suspected was permanent. She heard the clink of a glass as her wine arrived and turned to thank the bar tender, except he was on the other side of the bar and frowning in her direction. "My name is Jaguar Peace."

Mayo turned back to Jaguar and took a seat next to him, resting one hand around the base of the glass and the other on one of her swords. "It is nice to meet you, Jaguar." She didn't miss his glance down at her swords. "That's a nice sword you have."

He made no change in expression, but Jaguar's hand dropped to the hilt of the sword. "Indeed, but only as much as your own beautiful blades. Not famous for I do not recognise them, but instantly noticeable as exquisitely made."

"You're right in saying they are not famous, if anyone recognised them I would be very surprised."

"Family heirloom? You're a bit young to have crafted them yourself." Jaguar's eyes and left her swords and now had locked back onto Mayo's.

Mayo smiled pleasantly, picking up the vibe that he didn't think she was as intelligent as she was. "You are correct. What have you heard that makes you think I need a glass of wine?" She decided being blunt with the man was probably the best course of action.

"Less of what I have heard and more to what I can see. The markings on your jacket, as well as the crumpled look of the rest of your clothes, suggests that you have been wet recently without the chance to properly dry out your clothes. That, the fact you do not come from this island and the faint smell of salt indicate you have fallen in the sea recently. From that I can guess you had to swim to shore and as you came from the other side of the town, you had to walk a fair distance from the other side of the island before being found by the Mayor." Mayo was impressed. "But now I have a question for you, Mayo E Savilia…" Mayo instantly stiffened "…how do you find life as a pirate?"

_A/N: She is found out so quickly! What has Jaguar got planned for sweet, young Mayo and how does he know Mayo's middle initial! Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way soon!_


	43. The Bounty Hunter

_A/N: Thanks for your reviews guys. Now we move on to cooler things, read on!_

**The Bounty Hunter**

"I'm _not _a pirate." Mayo said, her voice hard and clipped.

The edges of Jaguar's mouth edged upwards, not in a smile but it wasn't a frown anymore. "There is no point in hiding it; I was on Judicator Island when you decided to join up with a certain pirate. That's also where I got your name from; I talked to some of the inhabitants."

"Maybe if you did you're research properly, you would find that I didn't _join _him; I just said that I'd go along to see how it was, but I'm _not _a pirate and I never plan to be."

"Irrelevant as to what you may be currently, you are my access to my target; just feel lucky you do not have a bounty." Jaguar said with annoyance.

"Target?"

"Yes, I'm a bounty hunter, hence why you are safe from me. The only person I want to get my hands on is 'Devil Leg' Lin…and I suppose the head of Nemo Kale would be a bonus as well."

_It seems that he is not aware of Lin's true identity. _Mayo thought as she sipped at her wine. "Well, I'm not going to be able to help you I'm afraid. I am no longer affiliated with that group." She said it as politely as she could.

"But I believe they still think they are affiliated with you. There are two things that I would like you to do; one of them compulsory, and one of them completely up to you." Jaguar said, taking a swing of his own drink. "The compulsory action is simple, stay in this village until Lin comes looking for you here; a couple of days, I suspect."

"And what if I wish to leave for my Island tomorrow morning." Mayo said calmly.

"Two reasons…" Jaguar held up two fingers to emphasize his point. "The first is that the Mayor will not allow a boat to leave the island immediately due to the break out from 'The Spider'. The second is rather more simple; if you do not comply I will detain you and drop you off at the next Marine Base. Despite the fact you have not been a pirate for very long, and that you have no bounty, you will still be arrested and no doubt interrogated for information on 'Devil Leg' Lin. Understand?"

Mayo remained silent and took another sip from her wine.

"Good." Jaguar said, emptying his own cup. "Now for the optional action; when I attack 'Devil Leg' Lin, no doubt his crew will attempt to dissuade me. I am not able to fight 3 people at once, especially when one is as strong as 'Devil Leg' Lin, so I offer you this; you can take the head of Marshall T Kubin."

Mayo froze with her glass half-way to her mouth, the thought that Jaguar was unaware of Dr Umbra slipping out of her mind. This was a notion she could not give up easily, she had told Marshall she was going to kill him and she intended to carry out her threat. _With Jaguar occupying Lin, I will have a clear shot at Marshall, I will never have another chance as good as this with Marshall heading off into the Grand Line. _"I accept these terms but I am off to bed now." She placed the glass on the bar and slipped of her stool, heading for the stairs and room 2b.

The next morning, Mayo woke up refreshed and invigorated; the night before she had entered her room and collapsed into her bed, the swim followed by a long walk had taken more out of her then she had first thought. The covers were warm but it took her a couple of seconds before she realised that she was undressed, with her clothes folded neatly on the chair next to the bed. She exited the bed and quickly dressed, noticing it had all been washed and dried, leaving her jacket and sandals on the chair.

As she fastened her leather belt around her waist, there was a quiet knock at the door and then a woman stuck her head through a crack in the door. "Ah good, you're awake. Mr Peace is waiting for you downstairs." Then she disappeared without waiting for Mayo to say anything. So Mayo slipped her sandals on, and her jacket, before exiting the room and making her way downstairs.

She instantly caught sight of Jaguar sitting in the same place she had left him the night before, nearly exactly in the same position. As she approached him from behind, he spoke. "Today or tomorrow."

"Sorry?" Mayo replied as she took the same seat as the night before.

"That is when I expect 'Devil Leg' Lin to arrive. If not, I will let you leave so you can return to your village."

"And how do you know when he will come, if he will come at all?"

"Let's just say I've set a little plan in motion. I've spread the word that I've captured you and intend to take you to the marines the day after tomorrow. So if he cares about you, which I'm sure he does, he'll be here today or tomorrow to prevent me from my job."

"One thing I started thinking about last night, I think you have some sort of personal vendetta against Lin."

Jaguar looked up and settled his deadpan eyes on her. "And why would you think such a thing?"

"Well, you're a bounty hunter but you're not going for the highest possible bounty; instead you're fixated on Lin."

"'Devil Leg' Lin does have the highest bounty." Jaguar replied, his look hardening as he spoke.

"Maybe last time you checked, but with Marshall on his crew then he has the highest bounty."

"What?"

"Yeah, I believe Lin's bounty is 20 million? Well, Marshall's most recent bounty is 120 million."

Before Jaguar could reply to this stunning revelation, the door to the bar slammed open and a man literally jumped into the room. "Hands in the air everyone, this is a Bandit raid!" he shouted, brandishing a pistol into the air. However, with one glance in his direction the few patrons turned back to their drinks.

"Keep it down, Jay!" the barman shouted and threw a wet cloth towards him. "And where the hell did you get a pistol from anyway?" he asked as the man called Jay pulled the cloth from his face slowly.

"I'm a bandit, I always carry a pistol."

As he walked into the room, Mayo realised that it wasn't just a trick of the light, he was massive. Not quite as tall as Marshall, but his muscles were much clearer, especially with the tight top he was wearing. His hair was a shaggy mess of blonde, covered with a brown bandana that sat just above his bright green eyes. The tight top he was wearing was moss coloured and a thin layer of fuzz covered it, like it was made out of cotton or something, and a similarly fuzzy brown waistcoat over the top of it. His trousers were better quality and a darker brown and he wore heavy sand coloured boots on his feet. Jay also wore a worn leather belt, strangely shaped in an 'X' and looked to be carrying something on the back of his belt.

"You might be a bandit…" The barman laughed "…but I thought you prided yourself on being a swordsman?"

"Doesn't mean I can't use a pistol when I want." He mumbled before striding into the room and slamming himself down into the stool next to Mayo, although around the corner of the bar. "Whiskey!" he demanded, slamming his hand into the table hard enough to shake it. The barman was chuckling to himself as he placed a glass of amber liquid in front of the man.

"You'll have to pay for that, you know." He said.

"I'm a bandit, I'm not paying you squat!" he called, except Mayo noticed him slipping a bill across the table. Then the so-called Bandit swung towards Mayo and leant one elbow on the table. "So then, Jaggy, when're you going to try and take my head?"

Mayo thought she saw Jaguar shudder at Jay's nickname for him, but he remained his stoic self. "You haven't got a bounty; you are not worth my time."

"Hey, I have a bounty!" Jay protested and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from inside his waistcoat. It was a bounty poster with his face on it, and the bounty of 50 thousand beli. "See!" he said brandishing the paper across Mayo to get as close to Jaguar as he could.

"That's hardly a bounty, even if it was real." Then he looked closer and noticed the signature at the bounty. "Well, it seems this bounty is real; you probably talked the Mayor into reporting you. But nonetheless, you are of no interest to me, I only go after Pirates."

Before Jay could reply, Mayo cleared her throat loudly and the two men looked at her. "As fascinating as your conversation is, you are ignoring me." The tone of her voice told them that she did not take kindly to being ignored.

"Who's the chick, Jaggy?" Jay said with a wide smile, which faltered when he realised that there was a point of a sword pointing throat. "That's a pretty sword, missy. Not as pretty as mine though." As he finished his sentence, Mayo felt a sharp point on her ribs and she glanced down to see a sword there, not any kind of sword she had seen before though.

The first strange thing she noticed was that the blade and the handle were of equal length, which was to say pretty long, like a spear. The second strange thing she noticed was that the blade was unnaturally wide, about twice as wide as a standard broadsword, shining white and ending in a wicked point. The striaght guard was wider still, with some of it stretching up the blade, shining gold with red jewels embedded in the centre and at the far ends. The handle was wrapped strangely with dark blue wrappings and a large clear diamond was based at the hilt of it all.

"See, pretty." Jay said before spinning the blade a couple of times and sliding it behind his back, where it rested itself in the wide leather scabbard he had created for it. "Now you can remove your blade."

Mayo complied and slipped her sword back into the scabbard. "It is a nice sword, is it famous?"

Jay's jaw literally dropped at her question, and he suddenly slipped of his hand and cracked his head onto the bar. "Is it famous?" he asked incredulously, as he pulled himself back to a sitting position. "This is one of the 12 best made swords in the world; this is a Saijo O Wazamono!" Mayo's eyes widened in surprise but she didn't say anything. "What's the point in having a famous sword if no-one recognises it; at least Jaggy knew what it was when he saw it for the first time."

"Yes, anyway, we have more important matters to discuss. But first, Mayo Savilia, meet Jayden Rikase. Jayden Rikase, meet Mayo Savilia." Mayo nodded, but it seemed that Jay was sulking into the bar. "Before I explain why he is here, explain to me why I do not know about Marshall Kubin's 120 million beli bounty." Jay snorted into his whiskey he was drinking at the amount.

"He is not on my list." Jaguar said as he pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and flicked through it. "With a 120 million bounty, I should have heard of him."

Mayo leaned across to look at the book, which held a long list of names with bounties next to each name. "You haven't got pictures?"

"I do not need to know what they look like; I just want to take their heads."

"Do you have 'Lowell Bearskin'?"

Jaguar flicked through his book and found the name, with a bounty of 120 million. "A fake name?"

"That's the name he used before we reached Judicator Island."

Jaguar nodded slowly then shut the book and slipped it back into his pocket. "It doesn't matter though; Marshall Kubin is still yours to kill. I shall fight with 'Devil Leg' Lin." He looked across at Jay, who was still sulking, and continued talking. "So, Jayden Rikase is here to help us. While you are killing Marshall Kubin, he will fight with Nemo Kale to keep him off your back."

"Fine, but you have a problem that you don't know about." Mayo said, hesitating slightly about whether to tell him or not. "He has another member in his crew now, probably as strong as him."

Jaguar's frown deepened. "That is problematic, I will have to find a solution to that." Before they could continue though, there was a scream from outside and Jaguar dashed out the door, followed closely by Mayo and reluctantly by Jayden.

"They are here." Jaguar said and gestured to four figures standing at the end of the street.

_A/N: Dun Dun Dun, they have arrived to take Mayo back. But will they succeed? Will Lin be able to convince Mayo to join up again, will she accept a peaceful solution? Find out next time! (Did that sound like an old cartoon to you?)_

_Also, I forgot to mention this last chapter so I'll do it this time round; credit goes to Oggytheogre321 for the creation of Jaguar Peace._


	44. A Bad Time to Come Hunting

_A/N: I actually have nothing to say…wait, no, that's I lie. I'm very angry at Amazon because they have failed to deliver to me Mass Effect 3 (& Asura's Wrath) on their release date, despite the fact I pre-ordered it aeons ago! Damn you, Amazon! But yeah, read on :)_

**A Bad Time To Come Hunting**

The four figures stood at the end of the road, the rising sun of the day behind their backs, casting them into nothing but silhouettes and giving them long shadows. But Mayo could tell who they were with nothing but the shadows, since their figures were so obvious. On the far left was Marshall, his tall stature and large swords easily visible from the shadows, next to him was Doctor with his cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes, and then came Lin, with Nemo on the far right. What Mayo couldn't figure out was Lin's shadow; it was strange, somehow wonky.

The four of them walked forward and as they got closer, Jaguar stepped in front of Mayo and drew his long sword, the midnight blue of the blade glinting in the sun. Then Mayo saw why Lin's shadow was strange, he was carrying a body in his right hand as if it was a bag. No one had made a sound since the scream from before, and the silence continued until the two groups, Lin's and Jaguar's, was about 10 ft apart.

"This island isn't very welcoming." Lin said, tilting his head to the side. "First of all the town across from here attack me on sight, and then these fellows try it on as well." He lifted the figure up into the air and revealed it to be one of the Order of the White Eagle's soldiers, his body limp and unresponsive. "This guy in particular nearly ruined my new clothes." He dropped the man on the floor, and loud clunk as his armour struck the hard ground, and Mayo saw that he was wearing new clothes.

Lin was now wearing a tight black t-shirt, the sleeves ripped off to leave tattered edges, tucked into a wide leather belt, a worn brown colour, with loose fitting dark blue trousers tucked into high leather boots that were laced tightly at the front.

"So, Mayo…."

"I'm not joining up with you, Lin." She interrupted, crossing her arms across her chest. "And there is nothing you can do to persuade me."

Lin frowned and tilted his head to the side again. "You seem to be a little confused, I am not Lin, I am…" Once again he was interrupted, but this time by a shout as two figures ran around the corner. It turned out to be Radal Terskin and Oscar Loddel, the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Order of the White Eagle on the island.

They slid to a stop, next to Jaguar and company, breathing heavily. Radal took one look at the collapsed soldier at Lin's feet and glared angrily at him. "It was you…you killed all my men."

Lin smiled "Hardly so, only one of them is dead and that's because he tried to spear me from behind and I just couldn't help myself." He chuckled before kicking the soldier in front of him. "This guy was the most annoying, some kind of commander position."

Both the soldiers looked down at the body, before glaring up at Lin again and drawing their swords. "You will suffer greatly for what you have done."

Lin snorted and then pointed at Oscar, forming his fingers into a pistol shape. "Doctor." He said and suddenly Oscar's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the floor, as if someone had hit him extremely hard in the head. "Now, if you would let me continue what I was saying, we can get on with this." He turned back to Mayo. "As I was saying; you seem to be a little confused, I am not Lin, I am Kai Velure…." Jaguar's, Jayden's and Radal's eyes widened in surprise while Mayo only had a confused look.

"It is dangerous to use a name you do not know the implications of, it could get you killed; strung up and left to die." Jaguar said, recovering from his surprise. "You are 'Devil Leg' Lin and you are about to fall victim to me." He raised his sword, and pointed it at Lin.

"What's going on, Lin?" Mayo asked, unable to keep her curiosity in check.

"It's quite simple, dear Mayo. Lin no longer exists, he was but a fake anyway, and I am Kai Velure; preparing to take back what is his."

"Wait a min…" Radal started but at a stare from Doctor, he lapsed into silence.

"Let me explain…"

"_Doctor, come with me." Lin said as he ducked inside and made his way to his quarters on the ship, Dr Umbra close behind him. They entered his room and as Doctor hovered by the door, Lin lifted up a small black treasure chest and placed it carefully on the table, taking a seat behind it and indicating for Doctor to do the same opposite him._

"_Doctor, I have come to a dilemma in what to do next and I want your advice." He started before pushing the chest towards him. "Do you recognise this?"_

_Doctor frowned before picking the chest up and turning it in his hands. "This is your Resabio Arca; I tried to find this in the wreckage afterwards. This is obviously the reason why I could not find it. Does it still have…?" he stopped as he placed the chest down on the table again._

"_No, not anymore. It has something else in it, open it."_

"_Open it; you know I could never open this bloody thing. In fact, I think you were the only one who could ever open it. Even Riku couldn't, despite blasting it with Lightning!"_

_Lin smiled before pulling the chest closer to him. "It's actually quite simple, if you have the right…talents." He reached around the chest and placed his hands on the square blocks that made up the locks on the side and with a sharp tug, he pulled them loose. Then he spun the chest around and placed the knuckles of his index fingers on the front blocks and with sharp jab, they pushed inwards, they were a number of clicking sounds like a mechanism and then the chest lid popped up a couple of centimetres. However, Lin wasn't done yet as he then twisted the lid a full 360o and pushed it back down again._

_The mechanism clicks sounded again, except this time instead of the lid moving, the sides popped out by a couple of centimetres. Lin then pushed the front of the lid and it slid forward like it was on rollers._

"_Haki…" Doctor said, and impressed look on his face. "Mix that with a clever mechanism and you get an unbreakable chest to keep things in."_

"_Indeed, now take a look inside." Lin pushed the chest back to Doctor, spinning it as he did to show him the contents._

"_Mmm…." Was all Doctor said in reply._

_Inside the box were some clothes, as well as a strange piece of chest armour. The clothes consisted of a black t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, a wide leather belt with three straps in the centre, white trousers and very high boots with overhangs at the top. Below them was something made of black fabric, and the way it was folded showed something white stitched into the centre._

"_So I have a choice…" Lin started_

"_Not really." Doctor said instantly, not even letting Lin finish what he was saying. "The 'choice' you are thinking of, really isn't a choice at all. You have to return to being Kai D Velure, if only to stop denying who you really are. But the main reason is rather more simple, now that you know that your crew is still alive; you have no reason to hide anymore, for whatever misguided reason you did in the first place."_

_Lin didn't reply, instead dropped his chin into his hands in contemplation. "Ok, I can see that. But what do I do about Lin?"_

"_Simple, you do what you usually do and cause a big scene and during that you announce your return as Kai Velure." Doctor said while leaning back on his chair. "Nothing complicated, you never were."_

"_Mmm…" Lin copied Doctor from earlier._

"_Ok, here's another reason then. You want to find the other's right?" Lin nodded. "So think about what would happen if they heard some guy called Lin was looking for them? They won't recognise the name, probably, so they won't strive to meet you. If they hear someone called Kai Velure had come looking for them, they'd be forced to stay. If only just to find out who was sullying your name."_

"_Ok, that makes sense. However, I'm going to mix in Lin with Kai…particularly the fact that it took me ages to get my hair this colour." Doctor got up to leave but Kai called him back. "One more thing, what would you do about the Mayo situation."_

_Doctor smiled and tipped his hat forward slightly, hiding the gleam in his eyes. "What would Kai do?" he said with a laugh before leaving Kai alone._

"So Lin no longer exists." Kai said, ignoring the others and looking only at Mayo. "But enough of that, there is something more important we need to discuss."

Mayo glared at him. "I told you, I'm not coming back."

Kai smiled "Well, you see we've come to a problem then. You are my friend and I sure as hell not going to let you go back to that boring island to live a boring life, so I've got a proposition." He took a step forward and gestured to Marshall. "I will not deny that he is now part of my crew, but he is his yours to fight. If one of you kills the other, then they are strong enough to come with me. However, if you cannot kill each other, physically I mean, then you have to agree to join my crew with each other. Agreed?"

Marshall nodded, a wicked smile crawling onto his lips, but Mayo just stared at him. "I'll kill him, but I can't guarantee that I will join you afterwards."

"Fair enough, but you won't be able to kill him." Mayo started speaking but this time Kai got there first. "No, I don't think he is stronger then you; I believe you are of the same strength and neither of you can kill each other." He swivelled his gaze across and settled it on Jaguar. "And you, black boy, you want to fight me? Fair enough, but you're one hundred years too early. However, maybe this'll show you that you shouldn't pick fights with people much stronger then you. So that leaves…"

"That Nemo guy is mine." Jayden said, sauntering forward. "I'm not entirely sure what this situation this has turned into, but I promised my friend here that I would fight with him, and I'm not one to go back on my promises."

"That's ok then." Kai said, turning his gaze to Radal. "That leaves you to fight the soldier boy then, Doctor." Doctor nodded and cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Fine, but let's get this started." Jaguar said, stabbing his sword into the ground and slowly pulling a hood up that threw the top of his face into shadow. He picked his sword up and pointed it at Kai again. "I'm taking your head."

Kai smiled and lifted his right arm up, fingers splayed and facing outwards, at chest height. Starting from the fingertips it slowly started changing, becoming hard lines and clear as glass, it crept down his arm and stopped at his elbow in a jagged line. "If you are hunting Lin, then you are probably unaware I have this." There was the sound of glass scraping across glass and Kai's fingers elongated slightly and formed into pointed blades. "In fact, you may even be slightly confused." He lifted his hand high into the air and turned it so that his palm faced Jaguar, his fingers slightly bent.

"Diamante Quinto Rascar…"

_A/N: Oho, so Lin has returned to being the famous Kai Velure, isn't this exciting! And now that we have the match-ups sorted, things are going to get heated…or are they?_


	45. The Golden Age Revived

_A/N: Actually nothing to say this time…carry on._

**The Golden Age Revived**

"Diamante Quinto Rascar…"

As he finished speaking, Kai clawed his hand forward and five large gouges appeared in the ground, between the four people on Jaguar's side. However, before any of them could react, large jagged walls of the clear glass substance erupted from the gaps and leapt into the air, splitting the group up into individuals. Then without hesitation, Kai and Doctor dashed forward into their corridors and disappeared in the light refracting walls. Marshall was a second slower but still on the mark, and Nemo was last as he realised what the others were doing.

Jaguar started in surprise as the diamond walls sprung up around him, separating him from the others in his group. Then he realised that his opponent was already dashing towards him, body bent low and arms held wide as if he was going to tackle Jaguar to the ground. _A Devil Fruit! 'Devil Leg' Lin does not have a Devil Fruit, why haven't I heard of this? _He thought desperately as Kai closed in. Jaguar's sword was already drawn, with its midnight blue blade gleaming, so he didn't wait for an attack, he lunged forward with an attack of his own.

He stepped forward, just a single step but it was enough since Kai had closed the distance between them so quickly, and aimed a downwards strike at Kai's shoulder. The pirate captain didn't even try to block as the blade passed between his outstretched arms and slammed into his shoulder, only to stop dead. Kai smiled and then tackled into Jaguar sending them both flying backwards where Jaguar was speared into the ground, Kai on top of him.

Although Jaguar's sword was katana shaped, it was much longer and so with Kai in such close quarters it was hard for him to attack, but attack he did. He managed to get his blade to Kai's neck and glided the blade across his throat. Except that, Kai's neck was now like glass but much harder and Jaguar's blade didn't even leave a mark in it.

"You're in over your head." Kai said as he raised a fist above Jaguar's head.

The bounty hunter didn't reply as he wriggled his knee up and managed to get it pressed against Kai's chest. With a sharp push he knocked Kai back, who landed neatly on his feet with an amused look, and rolled backwards before jumping to his feet. Jaguar glanced around and saw that the street was largely unchanged, except that walls of diamond covered the faces of the houses running down the street. Kai saw him looking and smiled.

"We wouldn't want to unnecessarily break anyone's home now, would we?" he said, crossing his arms.

For a second time, Jaguar didn't reply, instead he stabbed his sword into the ground so it stood there unsupported and reached up to draw his hood over his head. It wasn't a large hood but it was large enough that his eyes were thrown into darkness and only those very close would see his dark eyes shining from the darkness. He picked his sword up again, giving it a sharp tug to free it from the ground, and raised it so the blade was just below his eyes.

"My swords name is Deseo." Jaguar said quietly, but loud enough so Kai could hear without trouble.

"Should that name ring a bell for me?"

"I should think not, but be aware that, like me, it demands the death of all pirates." Kai didn't reply but narrowed his eyes slightly. "It's previous Master was lenient, until death took him against his will." The small shine of Jaguar's eyes disappeared as he closed them. "And now it wants revenge." He swept the blade out, his arm outstretched to the right. "It seeks the head of 'Devil Leg' Lin, Captain of…" he paused slightly as he remembered that Kai's new crew didn't have a name.

"Call us the Silver Age." Kai said with a grin.

Jaguar didn't smile and instead dashed forward, blade trailing behind him as he aimed for a wide slash across his chest. Kai simply shook his head and dropped his arms to his side, opening his chest for the attack that ran across his body, slicing through his shirt, leaving Jaguar staring at the wound that should have been there.

"Didn't you learn from the last two attacks, it's incredibly hard to cut me and you're a bit young at the moment." His hand flashed out and grabbed Jaguar around the throat, lifting him high into the air. "Young enough that you don't listen to what I say; I said that 'Lin never existed' so by saying you are hunting him, you are hunting a phantom." Jaguar swung his sword to sever Kai's arm, but yet again it stopped dead at his skin. "Do you know how big a bounty I have, not this 'Lin' mind you, what _I _have." he smiled.

"Kai Velure is dead, he doesn't have a bounty." Jaguar managed through clenched teeth.

Kai frowned and dropped Jaguar to the ground, who rubbed a hand across his neck, before walking a couple of steps away from him. "A little known fact about Bounties is that unless a body is handed it, dead or alive, then the bounty is still in effect. So even if the news of my death was spread as far and wide as possible, my bounty would still be in effect. So tell me, how high is my bounty?" He turned back to Jaguar with a wide smile.

Jaguar paused briefly, moving his hand from his neck to his sword. "450 million." He said simply.

"Ah, that's right." Kai replied, as if he had forgotten how high it was. "Do you know why it was so high?"

Again Jaguar paused briefly. "The fifth Yonkou." Was all he said though.

"Oh…" Kai said in surprise. "I thought you were younger then that, how old are you?"

Jaguar didn't reply but kicked a large rock at Kai, as well as a large plum of dust, before dashing forward to attack. Kai sighed and caught the rock, in one hand, just in front of his face. This is when Jaguar appeared at his right, the hand that was holding the rock, and aimed to stab his sword into his ribs. Kai twisted his body slightly and the blade hit his skin and glided across it, leaving Jaguar up close and his sword running up Kai's body.

"Enough of this." Kai muttered and slapped his hand against the blade that was against his side. The metal, despite its special properties, couldn't withstand the impact and the middle of the blade shattered, leaving the top half to fall to the floor as Jaguar reeled away holding the hilt with a small part of the blade sticking out of the top. "Maybe that will te…" he didn't get to finish what he said.

Jaguar roared out in pain and anger, dropping to his knees as he stared at the broken sword in his hand. His body began shaking, most notably at the hand that held the sword, and he ripped the hood from his head, tears close to escaping from his eyes.

"Whoa…" was all Kai said as he watched Jaguar's mind seemingly collapse on itself. "I didn't realise that the sword meant so much to you…bugger." Suddenly Jaguar's body stopped shaking and he pulled himself to his feet slowly, his eyes that of pure hatred and anger.

He didn't say anything but charged at Kai, sword hilt ready to strike despite being broken, with his rage unchecked. "Sorry, I can't fight you like that." Kai said before disappearing in a blur and appearing above Jaguar, who didn't seem to notice that he had moved, and slamming his heel into the back of his head, sending him collapsing to the floor, unconscious.

"I'll leave you like that until you calm down enough to fight me seriously." Kai said, taking a seat on the floor, crossing his legs and laying his hands on his knees.

As Radal already had his sword out, he thought that he had the advantage as Doctor raced forward to engage him. However, the Captain had not made the connection between Kai and this old man in a cowboy hat. As such, when he raised his sword to strike at Doctor, the Dr simply brushed it aside with one hand while the other one crashed into his chest. Despite the armoured chest piece Radal was wearing, Doctor's fist caved it in and sent him flying backwards; where he bounced off the glistening wall, then the opposite one until he landed in a small area with a closed dome.

When Radal reached the opening, he immediately rolled to the floor as the force of Doctor's punch had rattled his bones. When he eventually pulled himself to his knees, he received a bony knee to the face; which exploded in blood as several of his teeth were scattered across the dusty floor. He coughed to clear his throat and pulled himself to a sitting position, his back on Kai's creation.

"Who the hell are you…?" he asked, his words mumbled due to the lack of teeth.

"Haven't made the connection, have you?" Doctor said, pushing the edge of his hat up so he could get a better look at the downed soldier. "Although I am surprised you are so weak. Weren't you those guys' Captain?"

Radal growled and reached into his cuirass, pulling loose a small glass vial. Doctor frowned as Radal pulled the corked lid free and downed the strange yellow liquid the vial had contained. Instantly his face calmed and he took a deep breath in, before pulling himself to his feet and brushing himself down.

"Well, now, that was and interesting concoction to drink. Stamina?" Doctor said

Radal smiled and picked up his sword. "You'll never know." Then he dashed forward.

Doctor cocked his head to the side as Radal approached, waiting to see what the liquid did to the man. Radal thrust forward with his blade, twisting his wrist as he did so, so the flat of the blade pointed at the ground. It was Doctor's turn to smile as he moved his arms in a blur and caught the blade between his palms, stopping Radal dead in his tracks. Radal's eyes widened in surprise but Doctor didn't give him any further chance to attack as he slid one hand down the blade and with a smooth motion, snapped the blade clean it two.

Radal's surprise froze him in place as Doctor smiled and punched the broken end of his sword, pushing the hilt into Radal's chest, sending him flying backwards where he crashed into the wall again; this time sending cracks radiating out from him. The Captain cried out and dropped to the floor, where he found Doctor in front of him, sending a fist at his side. He didn't have any chance to react as Doctor's fist found its target and caved part of his armour in for a second time.

Radal was lifted into the air, sideways as well as up, but Doctor used his long limbs and caught him in the higher shoulder with another punch. Once again, the metal bent inwards and Radal was forced to the ground where Doctor planted his knee into his chest sending him slamming into the wall again, yet another dent in his cuirass.

"Come now, you're not even near the same league as me. Have you made the connection yet?"

Radal's breathing was heavy and spittle died red with his blood flew from his mouth. "You're old…" he paused as he tried to bring himself to his feet but didn't quite make it, slipping back down to a seated position. "And strong…you've got to be one of his old crew then."

Doctor smiled and put his hands on his hips. "Quite so, and since you recognised Kai's name, if I told you mine, you'd probably recognise it to. My name is Doctor Umbra." As it did with Kai's real name, Doctor's name widened Radal's eyes in surprise. "And so you'll know why you can't so much as touch me. I do have some bad news for you though."

Doctor reached down and grabbed him by the collar of his armour, hauling Radal to his feet. "Being back with Kai started me thinking about the good old days, and back then, I wasn't very good at holding back; no matter how weak the opponent was."

He smiled again and slowly clenched his fist, as his invisible aura sprang up around his body, filling him with power. "So I must apologise for this." And then he punched Radal in the chest.

Immediately his armour was shredded, as was the cloth underneath it, and a thousand lines of blood covered Radal's upper body. His jaw dropped in surprise as the last of his breath left him. Doctor's punch even shattered the wall behind Radal, knocking a sizable hole into it, and tore up some of the ground behind that. Radal's dead body dropped to the floor and slumped to the ground, dead before he settled.

Doctor reach down and picked up the largest sliver of broken armour, about an inch wide and 4 inches long, flipping it over to reveal a glass vial of yellow liquid attached to it by a thin leather strap. "And I'm not even going to tell you how hard it was to avoid breaking this. I'm so very interested in what is in this concoction."

He then wandered out of the domed area and out into the ruined street, glancing around and listening to other sounds of battle. "So then, I wonder how Nemo is doing." He mused before walking off in Nemo's direction, tucking the vial into one of his sashes he wore around his waist.

_A/N: I hope you liked this chapter, I loved showing off with Doctor and the newly returned Kai made short work of poor old Jaguar. More awesomeness heading your way next, so keep your ears and eyes open for it heading your way._


	46. The Power of Chikai Yari

_A/N: Wow, would you look at this: another chapter so soon! Aren't you the lucky ones…read on then!_

**The Power of Chikai Yari**

Nemo was the last to react from the four of them, however, he didn't dash forward; he simply walked forward until he was a step or two in front of Jayden. "You look like a strong one."

Jayden smiled and crossed his arms. "That I am, do you think you can take me."

Nemo reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I'm not really up for fighting you. I mean, you look and sound like your simply standing in and don't really want to fight me."

Jayden shrugged "Well sort of, but really, Jaggy asked me to fight you while he and that chick fought some other people. I wasn't entirely sure what the situation was, in fact I'm still pretty confused. However…" he dropped a hand onto the pommel of his sword. "I've still gotta fight you I'm afraid, Jaggy did ask re~ally nicely."

Nemo sighed and started to reach for the pipe strapped to his back but there was a whizzing sound and he found the tip of a very strange sword pointing at his nose, and a small line of blood running down his cheek.

"I will fight you will all of my strength, by the way." He smiled again, shifting his belt with his spare hand. "But let's get out of this corridor, I can't seem to cut through it and that is very frustrating."

So the two of them followed the surprisingly long corridor until they ended up it what seemed to be a clearing in a forested area.

"This seems about right, it seems like that blue haired fellow wanted to pick out where we fought." Jayden then spun around and held his sword up, gripping it directly below the guard but keeping the blade vertical. "So then, are we ready to begin?"

Nemo flexed his shoulders in his jacket and then pulled his pipe free from his back, thinking about what Doctor had taught him.

"_Right then Nemo, Kai tells me that we've got 24 hours before we go in after Mayo, so for the next 18 of those hours you're going to be training with me." Doctor said, pulling his cowboy hat off and placing it on a nearby tree stump. "So, Kai tells me that your have a Devil Fruit, the Yume Yume No Mi if I am correct." Nemo nodded "Right, so you have the power to reach into your dreams and pull them into reality, ultimately giving you a powerful technique." Doctor then moved forward until he was within touching distance. "However, your power, and ultimately any Devil Fruit power has a fatal weakness."_

"_Sea water, right?" Nemo said, crossing his arms. "Everyone knows that, or at least has heard about that."_

_Doctor nodded slowly "Correct, however they also have another weakness, one which you will come across when we meet more powerful opponents. Probably near the end of the Grand Line but you never know when you might bump into the wrong person." Nemo's face had turned quizzical as Doctor was talking. "So, I ask you to attack me with one of your 'dreams'"_

_Nemo shrugged and unhitched his pipe from his back, holding it lightly in his right hand. With the familiar rushing of energy, red smoke engulfed the pipe and it formed into a katana as electricity pulsated through the smoke. Then he tightened his grip and aimed a slice across Doctor's left shoulder; it never got there, however._

_As the strike came, Doctor reached up and caught the blade about halfway down, and as soon as his fingers came into contact with the red smoke it dissipated into the air. Then his hand touched the blade and the entire construct disappeared and the two of them were left holding Nemo's pipe._

"_What the hell happened?" Nemo said, bewilderment plastered across his face._

"_Have you ever heard of Haki?" Doctor asked, releasing the pipe to allow Nemo to pull away._

"_Never heard of it."_

"_I won't go into much detail, but basically if someone possesses this Haki then any Devil Fruits are rendered useless. Not only that, but it also boosts the hand-to-hand power an individual has. Observe." He turned away from Nemo to face the tree line. He clenched his fist and, although Nemo was unaware of it, the invisible aura surrounded his body. "Dragon Fist!"_

_Doctor threw the punch towards the tree and his signature move created havoc. It tore the ground up, peeling it up like a banana peel, and when it smashed into the tree's they were pulverised into nothing but splinters. _

_Nemo was suitably shocked and impressed as Doctor turned back to him. "That is the power of this Haki, although not many people will have it to such a high level." He chuckled and swept his hand through his hair. "At the moment, you aren't any kind of fighter, you're a brawler. Since your Devil Fruit is based around the mind, I can guess that it strains your mind and you become fatigued quickly. What I am going to do with you for the next 18 hours is ignore your fruit and focus only on your basic fighting ability and stamina. Are you ready?"_

_Nemo nodded. "Let's do it."_

"Do you seriously think you can fight me with nothing but a pipe?" Jayden said, watching Nemo ready himself to fight. "This isn't any ordinary sword, it isn't going to break if you hit it hard enough…"

"It is a fancy sword, did you make it?"

Jayden dropped his sword to his side and frowned. "Not another one! This sword is famous damn it, it should be instantly recognised! Well, I'm not saying it again!" and with that he dashed forward and aimed a horizontal strike at Nemo's waist.

Nemo was quick to react and hopped backwards to avoid the blow, however when he moved forward to strike at Jayden's head, a sharp pain tugged at his stomach. He glanced down and saw his vest being soaked in blood just above the waistline. _What the hell was that? _He thought as he looked back up to Jayden, who was smiling and leaning on his sword. _I was sure I dodged that, that's one of the things Doctor beat into me; judging the distance of an opponent's attack to effectively evade it. _

"Can't work it out?" Jayden said, a wide smile on his face. "Shall we try it again?" He dashed forward for the second time, but went for an overhead strike this time around.

Nemo watched it carefully and at the last moment dodged backwards, intent on letting the blade pass harmlessly in front of him. But yet again, when he thought he had gotten away from it a sharp pain stabbed at his shoulder and yet more blood covered his vest. He glanced down to check the wound but it wasn't deep and when he looked up, Jayden was spinning his sword around his body.

"Not got it yet?" he said, not losing his smile. "I'm not going to tell you the secret; it's down to you to work it out…" He dashed forward a third time and this time prepared a thrust at Nemo's face.

_I'll dodge this one, and then move in quickly to strike._

The blade of pure white passed by Nemo's head, missing by inches, as he stepped to the side to avoid the blow. As he stepped forward to attack though, Jayden hopped away to keep out of range. Getting frustrated with his opponent, Nemo spun his pipe around his hand and aimed a large swing to the side of his head. Jayden ducked under the seemingly simple blow and swung a flat, horizontal swipe. Nemo ducked even lower and slid forward slightly in an attempt to knock Jayden off his feet. Jayden jumped over the attack and sliced downwards, only to have Nemo roll away and jump to his feet, distancing himself to avoid further attacks.

"I've finally figured out your technique." He said, stretching out the muscles in his neck and shoulders.

"Oh really?" Jayden replied, spinning his sword absentmindedly around his body; unafraid of hitting himself with the wicked sharp blade. "Do enlighten me."

"Normally, you hold your hand at the very base of the blade, like any normal sword. But when you attack with a jab or a wide arc, you let your arm reach its furthest extent and then let the handle slide through your hand. With the handle nearly as long as the blade, it effectively doubles the length of the sword, allowing you to trick people of the length of your reach." Nemo explained, keeping his own weapon still, hanging loosely from his hand.

"Nicely said." Jayden replied and lunged forward. Nemo jerked to react but stopped when he realised Jayden was moving much slower then normal. The swordsman stepped forward in a perfect form for a jab and as his arm reached its fullest extent, the momentum of the thrust moved the blade forward, sliding between the fingers of his, now loose, hand until it stopped with his hand at the hilt.

"I'm glad you've finally figured out what I was doing." Jayden said, returning to a standing position, restarting the spinning of his sword. "That is one half of my style…" he paused, stopping his sword mid-spin so it froze with the tip millimetres from his outstretched tongue. "…the other half, thus the complete form, you are about to experience with your blood." He licked the edge of his blade and with a sudden burst of speed, dug the tip into the ground. "You may think of me as a laid back member of society, and you'd be right. Except when I fight; let me introduce you to Chikai Yari, Dance of the Spear."

With that he lunged forward, properly this time, and Nemo raised his weapon in preparation. He easily avoided the first thrust, allowing the blade to pass by his side, but at the last minute he realised that Jayden hadn't released the handle and received the flat of the blade to his side for the fault. The attack pushed him sideways with surprising strength but Nemo was perturbed as he aimed an attack to Jayden's head.

Except when the pipe reached his head, it was no longer there, as he had continued his forward momentum and had walked right past the stationary Nemo. Nemo swung around and saw the blade aiming at his stomach at the last second, arching his body away to avoid it. Only then did he remember Jayden's technique and he clenched his teeth as the blade cut a second gouge into his flesh. However, with a quick back step, he avoided serious injury, but still felt warm blood slide down onto his legs.

Jayden smiled and dashed forward, but Nemo was ready this time and ducked to the side to avoid the oncoming strike. But Jayden seemed to be expecting this as his blade changed course and headed to where Nemo was dodging; except he hadn't dodged the way Jayden had thought he had dodged. Instead of away from the blade, Nemo had dodged towards it and was now on Jayden's far side, his sight limited by his arm crossed in front of him.

Nemo didn't waste time and remembering Doctor's instructions, aimed a short, hard blow to Jayden's stomach; ignoring the urge to swing wide. The pipe connected solidly with the muscle of Jayden's abdomen and he cried out as he was thrown backwards. Nemo began to smile but stopped as he felt a sharp pain run up the back of his leg, cutting across the knee. He grunted and dropped the injured knee to the floor, where blood started pouring from a cut that ran up the back of his shin and into the back of his knee.

Jayden recovered and dug his swords tip into the ground, using it as a cane to rest again as he took heavy breaths. "You hit like a god damn train, where did you get that kind of strength?" he asked between breaths, but didn't wait for an answer. "Wait, it doesn't matter. I'm going to win now."

He walked forward, blade in one hand, the other resting on his stomach and raised the sword above his head. "Bun Bure-do."

However, before his blade could fall, something invisible slammed into his chest and he was thrown backwards with enough force that he smashed into a tree; which split in half as the centre shattered under the pressure.

"Just because I taught you to fight without your Devil Fruit, doesn't mean you're not allowed to use it." Nemo swung his head to the side and saw Doctor leaning against a tree with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "And it is even more unacceptable if you lose because of that fact. Don't think that Kai lets just anyone join his crew."

"You don't have to tell me." Nemo growled as he raised his arm, holding his pipe aloft. With a pulsing of energy, the pipe was engulfed in dark red smoke and ran up his arm, covering up to his shoulder. Lightning crackled and ran through the smoke as it formed into plated armour, started with a squared out 'U' shape at his shoulder and ending with a dark hole, with four teeth-like protrusions aiming towards the centre.

Jayden pulled himself to his feet and looked forward and the strange thing that covered Nemo's arm and watched with intrigue as four flames emerged from the four 'teeth'. _What in gods name…? _He thought before a massive torrent of fire erupted and charged towards him.

_A/N: A sli~ghtly longer chapter then usual, but oh well, I can give you a treat every now and again if I want! But anyway, the upgraded Nemo's seems strong, and with three of the fights down, we've only got one left… right? Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way as soon as I finish it!_


	47. Grudge Match

_A/N: I do apologise for the lateness of this chapter, it certainly wasn't deliberate. I was re-reading Bleach and so I was in a Bleach mood so I ended up writing chapters for my Bleach Fic before I remembered that I needed to get this one up! Let's just call it a dramatic build-up and I'll let you read on. _

**Grudge Match**

The diamond walls erupted from the ground, and Marshall reacted near instantly as he charged forward. He locked eyes with Mayo and reached over his head to clasp his hand around Ryuujin Toorima, lifting it off its hook and swinging it high above his head. Mayo saw the movement and had a brief flashback to the wall he had destroyed on Supaida Island, so she quickly back stepped to stay out of his range. She judged it right and the blade smashed into the ground in front of her. But that didn't stop his attack as the blade dug into the ground and shifted it around with its strength.

A large rock erupted from the ground beneath Mayo's feet, but as it rose she bent her legs and then used it as a springboard to flip away. When she landed, she had both swords drawn and in front of her.

Marshall didn't stop, he ripped his sword free and charged forward again, pushing Mayo back until the diamond walls had disappeared and they were left with nothing except an open street lined with buildings.

"This is more like it!" Marshall sneered, sliding to a stop and hefting the heavy sword so the flat of the blade rested against the leather shoulder armour he wore on his right shoulder. "Without Kai's stuff in the way, there is nothing holding me back." He grinned and tightened his grip on Ryuujin.

Mayo didn't bite and hung out of his range, her own swords held low so that the tips dropped below her knees. Her knees were bent and her eyes were locked on Marshall, like a cat ready to pounce.

"Fine, don't talk to me; but don't think I'm going to go easy on you." Marshall said before lifting his sword up and swinging it away from him, extending his arm to its fullest at his side.

He lunged forward a single step and swept his sword in a wide arc. Mayo didn't move immediately, thinking herself out of his range, but jumped backwards when she realised the blade was about to slice into her chest. The massive sword and Marshall's long limbs had thrown off her sense of his reach. However, she took advantage of the wide swing and when she thought the sword had hit the ground; she darted forward, aiming to slice through his legs.

As she took her second step she saw a glint out of the corner of her eye and glanced across to see Ryuujin's blade sweeping up towards her side. She gritted her teeth and bounced on light feet, curving her body to avoid the deadly blow, allowing it to pass below her but taking a notch out of her leather jacket. She flipped over completely and landed in a crouch before looking up to see Marshall resting the sword on his shoulder again.

"You've gotten better." She said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes. It is not by much, but I'm not the same swordsman I was before." He replied with his trademark grin, flashing his teeth. "Kai turned out to be pretty nice after the initial beating."

_Marshall knelt on the floor, his body slumped and propped up with nothing except the stiffness of his joints. He was covered in cuts and bruises and was sporting broken ribs, a large gash running down his right leg, and his left shoulder, elbow and wrist were dislocated. He looked up and blinked blood out of his eyes to see Kai standing above him, wiping blood from his fist with a dirty rag. When Kai didn't say anything, Marshall dropped his eyes and looked to his right, where a man sat chained to the wall; his condition much worse then Marshall's._

"_I've decided to use this room for my dirty work." Kai said, making Marshall look back at him. "Take Ian here." He gestured to the chained man. "He will spend the rest of our journey locked in here, I might even feed him every now and again." He walked up to the man named Ian and kicked him in the ribs. "This man is such a waste of life that it is hard to make myself keep him alive, but it is imperative that I do." He turned back to Marshall and crossed his arms. "And then we come to you."_

"_Luckily, you've done nothing as bad as him and so I've already finished beating you. Doctor doesn't agree with me, but this is how I see it; now I've paid you back for making Mayo mad enough that she would run away. Now, we have nothing between us to stop us becoming friends." He smiled and threw a clean towel into Marshall's chest. "Clean yourself up and meet me on the deck." He said before turning around and exiting through the door. Marshall didn't hear the sound of a lock clicking shut._

_He didn't move for a minute, taking the time to catch his breath before standing up. When he started to move his legs, he started shaking, but eventually he managed to pull himself to his full height, although he immediately had to lean on the wall to stop himself falling over. He tried to push himself up before realising that he couldn't move his left arm. So he twisted around and pushed off with his good hand and stumbled to the door. When he pulled himself through it, he saw Doctor leaning against the wall, concern in his eyes._

"_So he went ahead with it anyway." He said, standing up._

"_Nothing I can't…can't handle." He stuttered, spitting out a clump of blood._

"_So I see, come here." Doctor moved forward and placed his left hand on Marshall's left shoulder. "So you'll be able to handle this?" he said before grabbing the dislocated wrist and pulling it upwards sharply, twisting it away from him at the same time. Marshall cried out as audible cracks sounded, where his bones dropped back into the joints._

_When Doctor released his arm, Marshall flexed his fingers and his arm, a look of surprise on his face. "I am a Dr after all." Doctor said, smiling. "Your other injuries are superficial, just be careful with those ribs, we wouldn't want you to puncture something important now." He chuckled and walked away, leaving Marshall alone. Marshall hobbled down the corridor and then exited up to the deck via the stairs. He found Kai standing there with his hands behind his back._

"_Well, test one is a pass." Kai said before chucking something at Marshall. Marshall reacted just in time and caught the object in his hand, it was a katana, lengthened slightly to match Marshall's height. Kai held a normal one in his other hand. "Now we're friends, I need to make sure you can hold your own. This is the next test; you don't get your swords back until you scratch me."_

"_What?" Marshall growled, pulling the long blade free from the scabbard._

"_Hey, don't panic now. I'm not going to go full strength, but I'm going to give you a run for your money."_

_Marshall swung the sword around, testing the weight and length, before a smile crept onto his lips. "Well, I better get to it."_

"And for the next 18 hours of so, he beat the basics of swordsmanship into me; he turned out to be a bloody good swordsman." Marshall said, shifting Ryuujin on his shoulder slightly. "And so I've become a better swordsman then before."

"Really?" Mayo said before rushing forward.

Marshall smiled and released his grip on Ryuujin, allowing it to slide down his back and latch on the hook he kept it on, and quickly gripped Rekishichizu. He unhooked it and with a flash he swung it over his shoulder, cutting into the floor in Mayo's direction.

But Mayo wasn't new to his fighting style and had immediately jumped into the air as he struck. As such she was flipping over his head as struck. Her right sword flashed out to his neck but by pulling his sword back quickly, he managed to block the blow with the pommel of his own sword. The clang of metal on metal as the sword met rang out and Marshall stepped forward, just as Mayo landed, taking away her chance to slice at the back of his knees.

"You're not the only one who is used to the opponents fighting style." He said with his grin still on his face. "But what happens when you come up against someone who's fighting style you don't know?"

Mayo frowned and then watched, hiding her surprise, as Marshall moved the large sword in front of him and placed his second hand near the base of the handle in a hold similar to Kendo. He smiled and then his blade disappeared in a blur, reappearing in a backwards grip in his right hand, the tip of the blade touching the ground. Mayo realised at the last second what he had done and jerked her upper body to the side.

However, it wasn't fast enough as the sleeve of her jacket ripped up the length of her arm and blood spurted into the air, before running down her arm. Her arm wobbled slightly and then the sword she held slipped from between her fingers, digging into the ground. Her shoulder slumped as the pain bit into her, and blood started to pool by her feet as it dripped from her hand.

"What the hell was that?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Ander Flakkeren." When he saw Mayo's confused look he barked out in laughter. "Let's just say that my flicker attack evolved to a higher level."

"….not the only one…" Mayo muttered as she bent down and pulled her sword out of the ground, grunting in pain as she moved her injured arm. _Nothing to do about it, I need it._

"Sorry, what was that Mayo? Marshall said, standing up straight and dropping Rekishichizu back onto its hook before resting his hand on Ryuujin Toorima again.

_NOW! _Mayo screamed in her head and shot forward, eyes forward and teeth clenched against the pain.

Marshall reacted quickly but Mayo was faster then she looked, being in front of him before he had even moved his sword an inch. She jumped up and as she did so, her left sword snaked under his arm, pressing the cold metal of the back against his skin. As he continued the motion of drawing his sword, she flipped her body high and placed her other sword on top of his arm with the blade down.

"Rosé Des Vents" she whispered as she passed his ear.

Marshall felt a searing pain ran around his arm and turned his head in time to see Mayo finish her move, by pulling sharply on both of her swords. He also watched as his arm separated itself from his body and fall towards the floor in what seemed like slow motion to him.

Mayo landed on spring-like knees and rolled away, jumping up to face Marshall just as the sword, and the arm, thumped into the ground. Marshall stared at the blood literally spurting from his arm before roaring into the sky and dropping to his knees.

"You are not the only one." She said, standing up straight and walking up to Marshall as he screamed.

"MY ARM!" he roared, clutching at the bloody stump just above where his elbow had been moments before.

Mayo walked up with a grim expression across her face. "I told you that I would finish you." She said and placed her sword in a cross, around his neck like a pair of scissors. "...and now I finish this."

"Enough!" Came a shout and Mayo looked up to receive a boot in the face that flung her backwards a number of meters, where she landed on her back. When she looked up she saw Kai turning Marshall to face him.

"Hold still." He said and kicked his stump. As his toe connected with the flesh, diamond sprung up and covered the wound in a clear rock bandage. Marshall's eyes widened but Kai punched him in between his eyes, knocking him clear out cold. He caught Marshall before he hit the ground and slowly laid him down, straightening his legs out. Then he stood up and faced Mayo.

"Impressive, I didn't think you'd actually get such a good shot in. I'm going to have to train him harder next time." He said, crossing his arms.

"What…?" Mayo said, gripping her swords tighter in her hands.

"As long as you don't try to kill him so much, things should be alright."

"Didn't I tell you already, I'm not _joining your crew!_" She hissed the last words and threw a hateful look at Marshall.

"Wow, you really mean it as well, don't you?" Kai said, a smile on his lips. "Very well, I will return you to your island where you can live out a boring life doing whatever it is you want to do there."

"No…" Mayo muttered and shook her head. "No! That isn't going to be enough, not anymore."

"So you'll join me?" He smiled and clapped his hands, but stopped when he saw the glare in Mayo's eyes.

"Your on a much higher level then me, but I swear that I will come hunting one day. Not just for Marshall, but for you. You've taken my vengeance away from me and I _will _get it back." Her eyes were filled with so much hatred that Kai stopped smiling and dropped his hands to his side.

"Do not make me your enemy, Mayo." He said simply, menace flowing from him in waves.

Mayo started to reply but someone interrupted her "Kai!"

Kai turned his head to see Doctor landed next to him gently. When he glanced back to Mayo, he saw her running as fast as she could down the street. "Damn, there she goes."

"What was that about? Actually never mind, we've got Marines docking u…" he stopped as he caught sight of Marshall lying on the ground behind Kai. "What the hell happened to him?"

"Nothing. Where's Nemo?"

"On the ship, waiting for us."

"Then grab him…" he jerked his thumb at Marshall "…and let's get the hell out of here before more trouble comes along.

3 hours later, a Marine Captain by the name of Littlerock, returned the salute of a messenger. "I take it they are all gone?"

"Yes, Captain. An hour or so ago I reckon. All that's left is an empty camp by the village and a strange substance running through the centre of the village. That's all that says anything strange was going on."

"A strange substance?" Littlerock said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir. We think…we think it may be diamond." The Marine shifter uncomfortably as he spoke.

"Diamond, eh? How interesting. But they won't get far."

"Sir?"

"Well, they are probably heading for the Grand Line and so the next Island is going to be Yew City. Yew City currently holds a surprise no pirate wants to bump into." He laughed and waved the Marine away.

"So is it true…" he whispered to himself. "...has Kai Velure returned?"

_A/N: Wasn't that exciting! I sure had fun writing it. Seems like things are heating up for the crew, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way soon!_


	48. The Start of the Silver Age

_A/N: Another chapter! Nothing to say so read on…_

**The Start of the Silver Age**

Kai was leaning against the railing of the ship, up near the wheel, and looking up and the stars in the night sky. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest and leaning his head back as far as it would go. When he heard the clunking of wood on wood, dropped his hands to the rail and straightened his head to see Doctor coming up to him from the main deck.

"You never used to star gaze before." He said, taking up a position of sitting on a barrel to Kai's left.

"It's been a long time since then." Was Kai's reply and Doctor nodded his agreement. "How's Marshall doing?"

Doctor sighed and brought his legs up to cross under him "I got him stabilised about an hour ago but he's still unconscious. He just needs checking up on every hour or so, to make sure he doesn't catch something nasty in his wound."

"I didn't think I had hit him hard enough to keep him under this long." Kai said, not looking at Doctor, but returning his gaze to the sky.

"You didn't. There was no head wound to indicate that he would be unconscious for so long. I suspect his body is doing its best to repair the hole where his arm was and needs all its energy to do so; it's nothing to do with how hard you hit him…mostly." He smiled and Kai smiled in return.

"What about Nemo, I didn't think he would have a hard time against his opponent."

"He's in his Nightmare State at the moment."

"His what?" Kai replied, turning his head to look at Doctor.

"Nightmare State, it's what he calls it when he falls unconscious due to using his powers too much; it allows the strain on his brain to subside before he has to use it again."

"How is it different from sleeping it off?"

"Well, you know as well as I do that he doesn't sleep well on his own. This is a sort of forced sleep; he called it a 'Self-inflicted nightmare' before locking himself in his room."

"A self-inflicted nightmare…" Kai mused, rubbing his hand along his chin. "Sounds like fun, do you know how long he's gonna be like that?"

"Well, he said as long as he could stand it. I suppose the longer he's in it, the better condition he leaves it in."

"Hey, wait a second…" Kai said, jabbing his finger in Doctor's direction. "I thought you trained him so that this kind of stuff wouldn't happen."

Doctor raised an eyebrow with an exasperated sigh. "Kai, I had 18 hours with him; that's not going to improve him by much. I also wasn't expecting him to use such a flashy move so soon."

"Flashy move?" Kai questioned, a large smile spreading onto his lips. "How flashy are we talking here?"

"Pretty damn flashy actually, admittedly not on our levels, but he's getting there." Doctor smiled as he watched the excitement build in Kai. "It was some weird ass thing that threw an intense column of flame, it was pretty impressive."

"It does sound impressive, what happened to the guy on the receiving end?"

"He was more impressive, he's one skilled swordsman. He actually sliced the fire into pieces and then brushed it aside like it was nothing. Nemo was caught off guard by that and although he wanted to continue, I had to step in. Although the guy didn't seem to want to fight after he saw how exhausted Nemo had become."

"Damn, so Nemo lost?"

"Pretty much, I'm just glad the guy didn't want to continue the fight."

"Oh well, you'll have to train him some more so he can fire off strong moves more then once. What about that soldier person you were up against, any fun?"

"He's dead, that's how fun he was."

"Seriously, dead? What a sucker, but then again, none of his friends really did anything spectacular either."

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Kai turned to Doctor again and saw him holding a small vial of clear liquid. "He took one of these and instantly regained his stamina and strength, after I'd laid into him with a couple ¼ power punches."

"You used ¼ power punches? No wonder the guy died." He laughed "Any idea what that stuff is?"

"It doesn't seem to be anything of a medical nature, nothing within my experience at the very least. I'll have to see if I can find a chemist or something, see if they can figure it out." He tucked the vial back into one of the sashes around his waist and looked at Kai. "What about the guy you fought, any good?"

"He seemed like it, but then he freaked out when I broke his sword, so I knocked him out to calm him down. Then I heard Marshall crying out and went to investigate, no idea what happened to him after that." He shrugged "Nothing of too much interest though."

"Right, now we get to the topic which brought me up here in the first place; what about Mayo?" Doctor said, watching Kai's reaction closely.

"She made her decision." Kai said, his face darkening.

"Didn't you say she wasn't better then Marshall?" Doctor said, still watching closely.

"She…she did something I didn't even guess she could do. Something so graceful, so beautiful I'd love to see it again. When she attacked him that final time, she seemed to float into the air, gracefully over his head. It was impressive."

"If she was that good, why didn't she take out Marshall before, back on her own island? Before, you said that she told you she was waiting for someone to take him out for her. If she is as powerful as you saw, what the hell was going on?"

"She said she was waiting for someone to take on Kumar, but I see what you mean." He narrowed his eyes. "I guess I'll have to ask her when she comes for my head."

"Is that what she said?"

"Along those lines. Anyway, this discussion is getting depressing. Go and keep an eye on Marshall, I'll stay out here to keep watch."

Doctor eyes Kai shrewdly but shrugged and slipped off the barrel and headed back to the small stairs leading to the deck. "We'll need to talk about what we're doing next once Marshall and Nemo are up and about."

Kai didn't reply and Doctor looked back and saw him looking up to the stars again.

Two days later, Kai was hauling the sails up when he heard someone approaching from below deck. When he turned to see who it was, Nemo's head appeared out of the doorway. He nodded a greeting to Kai and then jerked his head back inside, Kai got the message and nodded back as Nemo disappeared again. Kai finished the sails and did one last check that the ropes were secure, and that there was nothing in the waters nearby, before following Nemo below deck.

As he shut the door to the deck behind him, he heard a commotion in one of the rooms ahead of him, so strode quickly to the door, opening it just as Nemo came flying backwards towards him.

Kai caught him and saw over his shoulder that Marshall was up and about, causing trouble just as Doctor placed a hand on his chest to stop him moving.

"Marshall!" Doctor said sternly and suddenly Marshall's body wobbled and he fell back onto the bed in a sitting position, a look of confusion on his face.

"Did you really need to use that?" Kai said as he came up behind Doctor.

"Easiest way to get him to calm down." Doctor said with a shrug, as he bent down to look into Marshall's eyes. "But he's still conscious, and there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage…apart from the obvious." Doctor was referring to the fact that Marshall's right arm was now completely gone, Doctor having had to remove the rest to make sure the wound healed properly.

"Hey Marshall, you functioning now?" Kai asked, bending down to look into his eyes as Doctor had done.

"Where is she?" Marshall muttered, shaking his head slowly. "Where is she?"

"_She_…" Kai said, watching Marshall carefully. "…isn't here. I no longer consider her part of the crew, and nor will she ever be."

Marshall raised his head slowly and stared into Kai's blue eyes with his red ones. "What?"

"She decided that she would rather spend her time hunting me, since I stopped her from killing you."

Marshall's eyes widened in surprise as Kai spoke. "What happened?" he said, still quietly.

"You don't' remember?" Kai said, looking towards Doctor who mouthed 'tell you later'. "I stopped her from killing you after she cut your arm off."

At this, Marshall started and snapped his head to look at where his arm should have been. "What…the…hell?" he said through gritted teeth, Doctor having a look of interest on his face. "But…I can still feel it."

"The ache should fade away in time." Doctor said.

"Not pain, I don't feel any pain. I feel my arm, my hand, my fingers. They should be there!" he shouted the last one and slammed his hand into his knee. "But it's not." He looked up at Kai again before speaking. "How did she…?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm not going to talk about it and you're not going to either. We've got other things we need to talk about, as a crew. Nemo, you doing alright?" He turned around to face his first mate, who was leaning against the door.

"Yeah. Going into my Nightmare State did me a lot of good, although I didn't think I'd need to use it after facing that guy; he was stronger then I expected." Nemo said slowly, obviously remembering his fight.

"Well, it's something we won't let happen again. Doctor is going to keep training you, as I will keep training Marshall; especially in his current condition."

"My condition?" Marshall said, making Kai look at him.

"Well, considering you've lost your dominant arm, I now need to teach you how to, not only fight with one hand, but your non-dominant one as well. You and I will be spending a great deal of time together so I can get you up to scratch." Marshall looked at where his arm would be again and Kai saw him narrow his eyes. "But enough of that, what we actually need to talk about is what is going to happen next, Nemo, come and grab a seat."

Nemo moved across the room and took a seat at the end of the bed opposite to Marshall. "Wait a sec…" Marshall said. "Where the hell are my swords?" He glared up at Doctor who shrugged, so moved his gaze onto Kai.

"Safe, they're locked up in your room for now." Marshall glowered by remained silent. "Right, moving on. Soon enough, we will be entering the Grand Line via Reverse Mountain."

"Reverse Mountain?" Nemo said, looking interested.

"Yes, it's a pretty unique place where water flows up the mountain towards the summit. It's the only way to enter the Grand Line with the exception of going through the Calm Belt, which is hard enough to do so there's no point. However, before we enter the Grand Line, we'll be coming across Yew City."

"Yew City?" It was Doctor's turn to question the location.

"You were raised in the East right? You know of Lougue Town?" Doctor nodded "Well Yew City is sort of the West's equivalent to that. No where near as famous, for obvious reasons, but probably more prosperous. It's full of all kinds of shops, stalls and markets. It also has little to no Marine presence besides the usual guards."

"We're going to need to stock up there if we want to survive on the Grand Line for more then a week. So Doctor and Nemo, you'll be in charge of gathering food." The two of them nodded. "Marshall, you'll stay on the ship and rest." Marshall looked up but remained silent. "What I don't need is a dying crewmate as we enter the second most dangerous sea in the world, so make sure you stay here."

"What about you, what are you going to do?" Nemo said.

"I've got some investigating to do." Was all he said and glanced at Doctor, who nodded, despite Nemo and Marshall's confused looks. "We'll dock up and stay there for two days, heading to Reverse Mountain on the third day." He smiled and opened his arms wide. "Now smile, you're about to become pirates of the Grand Line!" he laughed and turned to exit the room.

"It's going to be one hell of a ride!"

_A/N: Well, onto Yew City they go then and the Grand Line to follow! Things are getting fun. But will things go as smoothly as Kai's plans seem to make them? Of course they don't, where would the fun be in that! Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way, when things get interesting for our dear crew._


	49. The Bustle of Yew City

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Also, it's nice to see some new faces in the Review page, so keep it up. We've got the crew arrive in Yew City, the West's equivalent to Lougue Town and things certainly get interesting in the coming chapters. Read on, my readers._

**The Bustle of Yew City**

"And there we have it, Yew City!" Kai said, gesturing towards the island they were sailing up to.

"Well, it certainly looks more impressive then Louguetown did." Doctor replied, taking in the masses of buildings that covered the island.

"Yew City is the most populated island in the entire West, and probably the others blues as well. Those buildings you can see, they run from edge to edge; no ground is spared if it is big enough for a building, and it will always be big enough for some kind of building." Kai explained. "You want something, than you go to Yew City. It stocks pretty much everything you'd want to get your hands on. It's even got stuff from the Grand Line which most people would never usually get to see. It's quite an impressive place."

"I've heard it's quite good." Nemo said, walking up to stand beside Kai at the railing.

"It's probably better then you've ever heard. Most stories underrate the city because they've heard it from a friend or a friend who passed by it once." Kai replied, turning his back to the city and resting on the railing. "Where's Marshall?"

"In his room, sulking." Doctor said, moving away from the railing and heading towards the helm. "Where the hell do we dock anyway?"

"Circle us around to the left. We should come to an inlet which is where the more scrupulous visitors dock up. Keeps us out of sight of the main waters as well as being quicker to return to should trouble arise."

"Fair enough, I'll take us around." Doctor said, tipping his hat before walking away to take the wheel.

"Are we expecting trouble?" Nemo asked.

"Well, in these places you never know. There's not much Marine presence here, but trouble can come from anyone."

Nemo was about to reply and then stopped, his eyes locking onto something to the right of the island. "We'll have to be extra careful."

"Why?" Kai asked, turning around as Nemo pointed to three boats that were pulling up to the island to dock. "That's a pretty high ranking marine." He said, taking in the large Warship being escorted by two Galleons. "We just won't cause any trouble; I doubt we're famous enough yet anyway."

It turned out that Doctor was a decent Helmsman as he steered the ship expertly; using the wind currents as appropriate and aiming to the left of the island. As they drew nearer to the coast, they could make out market stalls that were crammed between the buildings and the edge of the land, and people were precariously walking along it to see what wares they had to offer.

"And if they can't think of a building to put there, the stalls will fill it up." Kai added, watching Nemo look at the gathered people.

The inlet appeared further down the coast and was unlike anything that Doctor or Nemo could have guessed. A wooden dock had been built, directly attached to a concrete line that was the end of the island, but it was full up with stalls that were selling mostly nautical equipment and things claimed to be the 'must-have; for any sea-faring individuals.

"See them?" Kai asked, gesturing to the dock based stalls. "Don't buy anything from them. It's a waste of time for sure. The better stuff is all inland; these guys are just trying to scam money out of you."

"I was going to bring that up at some point; what are we going to do about money?" Nemo asked, turning to face Kai. "We haven't got any to spend on supplies."

Kai smiled, earning a quizzical look from Nemo. "Did you think I stole this ship simply for laughs? Follow me." He pushed himself up from the railing and headed to the door that would take them below deck. "Doctor, dock us up on the left there, away from the other ships to give us some breathing room."

Doctor nodded as Kai led Nemo below deck. The two of them passed by the first rooms and headed to what Nemo had thought was a dead end. When they reached it, it had two barrels stood next to each other; Kai pulled one of the barrels out to reveal a trapdoor in the floor. Flashing a grin at Nemo, he reached down and pulled a ring up to give it a sharp tug. The door came away from the floor and Kai turned around to descend down a ladder, gesturing Nemo to follow him.

When Nemo got down there it was near pitch black and the sound of water surrounding the room echoed about. "Kai? What's down here?"

"Give me a second." Nemo heard from the darkness and suddenly the room grew bright as Kai lit the room up with a flaming torch. "Take a look." He said.

Nemo's eyes were pretty used to adjusting themselves to sudden light so it took less then a second for him to see the 5 large chests surrounding the bow-shaped room. "I take it these are full of gold?"

"Nearly." Kai replied, stepping across to one of them and flipping the lid to reveal it full of Beli notes, with a few scattered coins over the top. "Already converted into Beli, so we won't need to try and switch it. Also, it's nice and organised…"

"That's because I made sure it was." A voice said and the two of them turned to see Marshall descending the ladder.

"Marshall…" Kai said "I forgot this used to be your ship."

Marshall reached the bottom and turned to face the two of them, absentmindedly reaching up to itch the wound of his missing arm. "Whenever we'd find Gold, I'd make sure we converted at the next possible island. The trip out before you arrived on the island was quite fruitful which is why there's so much here; although you should have seen the stash in the bigger ship." He grinned and leant back on the stairs. "The Roaring Bears were pretty damn rich actually…I wonder what happened to all of that money." He wondered.

"Probably scavenged by the minions I scared off, most likely after we had left." Kai said. "But I think what we have here is enough to keep us going until we come across some more treasure and the like." He laughed and indicated Marshall to climb out again.

As the three of them came up on to the deck, Doctor appeared over the side a landed deftly next to them. "All docked, Captain." He said pulling his hat off and wiping sweat of his forehead with the back of his sleeve. "But we really need to get some more hands on this ship; I'm getting old you know." As he spoke, he glared at Nemo and Marshall.

"Old, Doctor? You'll never be old, not until you're dead." Kai said with a laugh "But now we can get going. You…" he spun and pointed at Marshall "…stay here and rest. I said I didn't want to have to take a sick person with me to the Grand Line and I mean it." He turned back to the other two, ignoring the protest Marshall had started. "This should be enough money to stock up." he threw a leather sack at Doctor, who caught it and tied it to one of his sashes. "And a bit more if you see something you like. As for me, I'll see you later." With that he jumped over the side of ship, landed gracefully on the wooden dock and started striding towards the town.

He heard the other three begin talking but ignored them as he made his way into the throng of people that occupied the docks. Stand vendors shouted out deals and offers, some to the crowd, some specifically towards him. He was nearly a head taller then most of the other people and so was easily seen, however it also meant that most people got out of his way before he stepped on them. Kai loved it.

He managed to reach the edge of the actual buildings and then came to a stop, looking over the heads of the crowds to gauge where he was. _Damn, it looks like it's changed a lot more then I thought it would in the time I was gone. It definitely more packed then it used to be._ He shrugged to himself and headed into the town, deciding the best place to start would be a bar.

As he pushed his way through the crowd, he caught sight of a large sign made up of two swords crossing each other, further down the road. _Aha, Madame Kilo's Swords & Armoury. That one's an oldie, let's pop in there. _It took him 5 minutes, but eventually he slid inside the shop door, closing it to the noise outside with a small click.

"Finally, some peace and quiet." Kai muttered to himself as he brushed dirt off his clothes.

Once finished he glanced around the room, taking in the masses of weapons that were mounted on the walls and balanced on stands, and even stood up in barrels. It was quite the collection. He wandered around slowly for the first few minutes, taking in the weaponry, before making his way to the counter.

As he got closer he noticed a rack of small books on the left, so he moved up to them and picked one out, flicking through it casually. It turned out to be some kind of encyclopaedia of swords, listing them in by quality.

"Maybe a present for Marshall?" he asked himself.

"I'm sure he'd like it." A voice said from behind him and Kai spun around to face a tall figure, and it took him a second to recognise him.

"Marshall! What the hell are you doing here?" Kai said, frowning. "And what is with that get-up?"

The reason it had taken Kai longer then necessary to place him was because he had disguised himself. He had pulled his hair back into a ponytail, albeit a spiky one, was wearing a pair of rectangular glasses and had put on a baggy white top. "Check these out." he reached behind him and pulled out a number of thick pieces of paper.

Kai frowned again but took them and turned them over to see bounty posters. When he saw them, he smiled.

**Wanted Wanted**

** Dead or Alive Dead or Alive**

**Kai "Diamond God" Velure Nemo "Nightmare" Kale**

** B450,000,000 B80,000,000**

** Wanted Wanted**

** Dead or Alive Dead or Alive**

**Doctor "Dragon Fist" Umbra Marshall T Kubin**

** B250,000,000 B130,000,000**

** Wanted**

** Dead or Alive**

** Mayo Savilia**

** B70,000,000**

"Well, well, well, this is exciting!" he smiled widely as he flicked through the pages again. "Seems like me and Doctor have been reinstated, and you guys are rocking. Even Mayo!" Kai took a long breath in and then exhaled sharply. "It feels good to be one of the top boys again." He flicked through them again and stopped at Doctor again. "Huh, even he's gone up by 40 million. And you've gone up by 10 million; probably for associating yourself with me. Is that the reason for your dressing up spree?"

"With whoever that Marine was on the battleship, I'd rather not be recognised." Marshall said, standing up to his full height. This drew Kai's eyes to his shoulder, where the handle of a sword was visible. Not his normal ones, but the long Katana he had used to train with. Marshall saw him watching and shrugged. "My own swords are pretty obvious, and I don't actually plan to fight with it. I just don't like walking around unarmed."

"Fair enough, but don't think the bounty posters have made me forget about you disobeying me." Kai said, the smile on his face a give away that he wasn't really mad. "But anyway, where's the owner of this place?" he asked and turned, banging on the desk to try and get someone's attention.

"Oh well." He said after no-one appeared. He put some notes on the table and handed Marshall the book before gesturing him to follow. They forced there way into the throng, both of them taller then the majority of the crowd, but came to a stop suddenly when Marshall cried out.

"That damn hippie!" he said, looking at his new book. "He had one of the 12 and I didn't get a chance to take it from him!"

"One of the 12?" Kai questioned, turning to face Marshall.

"One of the 12 Saijo O Wazamono swords; the best 12 swords ever made. Sonozou Ken, the White Sword. Damned it, we better meet him again at some point so I can rip the sword from his cold dead fingers."

Kai was about to answer when he felt a chill run up his spine, something he hadn't felt for a long time. He turned his head to the left and caught sight of a man standing at the far end of the street they were on. The man was a similar size to Marshall so his slicked back silver hair, dark mirrored glasses and the fact he was wearing a deep sea blue suit jacket, ice blue shirt with a white tie, was all very clear.

Marshall looked up to see Kai staring and followed his gaze, before nearly dropping his book when he saw who it was. "Oh damn, this isn't good." He said slowly, reaching his hand out to grab Kai. "We've got to go, now."

"Who is he?" Kai said, not moving an inch, keeping his gaze locked on the individual in question. Suddenly, the crowd seemed to split down the centre, leaving a wide gap between Kai and the stranger, and two more people came into view. The long coats resting on their shoulders above crisp suits made it very clear who they were; Marines.

"Admiral Aokiji…" Marshall said just as one of the highest powers in the Marines raised his arm up and extended his fingers.

_A/N: Dun Dun Dun. An Admiral makes his appearance in front of Kai! Things are certainly going to heat up quickly! Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way._


	50. The Marines Ruin the Day

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys, and I'm glad that you're looking forward to the coming chapters. Nothing else for me to say now, so read on!_

**The Marines Ruin the Day**

"And there he goes." Marshall said, stepping back so he could lean on the railing. "How bored am I going to be!"

"You could always hope for someone to attack the ship." Doctor suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "Come on, Nemo, let's go." He moved to the side of the ship, and unlike Kai, he climbed down the ladder to the docks with Nemo just behind him.

Nearly immediately they were swarmed by the amount of people pushing their way around, although there was enough room that they didn't have any trouble staying together. Doctor walked nonchalantly, twisting his body where necessary to move out of the way of an oncoming person. Nemo was slightly less subtle and knocked people aside more then once as they progressed.

"Doctor." Nemo called out, making Doctor stop and turn to face him. "Do we even know where we're going to stock up? Neither of us has been here before and I don't think we'll be able to ask for directions."

Doctor didn't reply immediately, clearly thinking carefully. "A good point well made. We'll have to split up then, here." He reached into the pouch Kai had given him and pulled out a wad of notes. "If you find the right kind of place, do you know what to buy?"

"Pretty much. I've watched the Marines stock up plenty of times before." Nemo said, pushing the money into his pocket. "You go that way, I'll go this way?" he gestured down two separate streets as he spoke. Doctor nodded and then headed off, disappearing into the crowd quickly, Nemo only able to see the top of his hat as he went.

Nemo started off in the direction he had indicated, pushing his way past people when they failed to move out of his way fast enough. He was tall enough that he could look across at the store names, giving him the chance to figure out if it was the right kind of place he was looking for. As he walked he caught sight of a wooden board with paper stuck to it in various places, he instantly recognised it as a Bounty Board that people could use to pick a Bounty to go after if they so wished.

He changed direction suddenly, bumping an old man out of his way as he did so, and pushed his way over to the board. He quickly glanced across it but his gaze settled on the newest looking ones, which meant newer bounties. Immediately he saw Kai's face and picked it off the board, with the pile it was attached to.

_450 million? That's pretty damn impressive; looks like he wasn't exaggerating about being a big shot Captain back in his day. _He thought as he flicked through the others, eyes widening when he saw his own bounty. "Bloody hell, it went up by that much?" he muttered. He was about to move on but froze when he felt something brush against his back.

Nemo spun around quickly but there was no one there, literally. The street had been packed moments before, but now it was empty; completely empty. He didn't say anything, but he could tell that something wasn't right. He let his hand snake up to his shoulder and took a firm grip of his pipe.

"Nemo." the voice was loud, like a shout, and had a raspy breathiness to it. Nemo snapped his head to the side at the sound of the voice, following its location.

"Nemo!" This shout was just as loud but more urgent, the strangest thing about it was that it had come from the opposite direction from the other one; despite being the same voce. Nemo spun around in that direction and narrowed his eyes, trying to see if anyone was hiding.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha…" The laugh echoed around the entire area, causing Nemo to look around to try and find the source. "I'm near you, Nemo…Ha, ha, ha…"

This time Nemo didn't even bother looking around; instead he drew his pipe and held it by his side, staring down the street he had originally been looking down. Nothing happened for a second but then the street started to shimmer in a heat haze, before a figure appeared in the distance.

"Nemo…look what you did to me, to us." The figure said, stumbling forward and forming into the shape of a man.

Nemo watched, transfixed as the man drew closer, showing off gruesome wounds and horrified eyes. Suddenly something twigged in Nemo's head, as the man took a step closer, and he held his pipe up with a look of anger on his face.

"You…you can't be here." He said slowly, watching as the figure smiled with a lob-sided grin.

"I could never trick you, Nemo." The figure said as the heat haze covered his body and his looks changed dramatically.

His body stretched and he became tall and gangly, wild brown hair sprouted from his head and formed into spikes that pointed in all directions as a stubble-like goatee appeared on his chin, his eyes became shrouded in shadow as opaque glasses appeared over his eyes. The man wore a basic blue suit with a blue dress shirt that he had left undone down to his belly and the visible un-tucked edge on one side poked out from beneath his jacket. His hands wore adorned with several rings and a skull shaped earring pierced his right ear, the red ruby eyes glinting in the sun. Wooden clogs appeared on his feet as he took one final step and came to a stop within touching distance of Nemo.

"Skain." Nemo growled, gripping his pipe tightly as red smoke started to seep down his arm to the weapon.

The man called Skain reached up and started stroking his goatee as he watched the smoke creep down Nemo's arm. "You've certainly become stronger if you are already activating your devil fruit."

"I have nothing to say to you, Skain." Nemo said as the creeping became a rush and the pipe became a long metal spike bathed in lightning imbued, red smoke. Before Skain could react, Nemo stepped forward and plunged the spike into his heart, until a foot of it came out of his back.

Skain had a look of surprise on his face, frozen as Nemo glared at him. Then he smiled and the hiss of laughter escaped from his lips. "Impressive Nemo, you did not hesitate to attack. However…" the heat haze reappeared and Skain disappeared, reappearing on Nemo's right. "You're ability to imitate death is powerful, but it does not affect me…or rather, this me." He said, laughing softly again.

Nemo growled and let the smoke dissipate and return back to the base pipe form. He reached over his shoulder and holstered it again, crossing his arms across his chest. "What do you want Skain?"

"Well…" Skain started but was interrupted by the sound of wooden clogs on hard packed dirt.

"An impressive trick, whoever you are." A voice said and both Nemo and Skain turned to see Doctor walking down the empty street, a large bag slung over his shoulder. "I wondered why Nemo was taking so long; it's nearly been an hour now."

Skain's body instantly slacked as he turned to face the newcomer, wobbling slightly on his feet. His lob-sided smile reappeared as he faced Doctor with a sideways turned head. "Howsh this possible?" he said, a slight slur appearing in his speech pattern.

_A drunk? _Doctor thought as he stopped walking, staying about 15 feet away from Nemo and Skain. _No matter. _"As impressive as an ability it is, it is only a Devil Fruit." He said, smiling to himself and pushing his hat up a bit to get a better look at the strange man.

Suddenly, the bag he had been holding on his shoulder dropped to the floor and he appeared behind Skain, aiming a kick to his head. The man reacted quickly, turning to face Doctor, but he couldn't stop the attack as it plunged into his face. Only, his face exploded in a splash of water, followed by the rest of his body collapsing to the ground as a puddle. Doctor landed and glanced around, keeping his guard up with his arms.

Nemo put a hand out to get Doctor's attention but the man appeared between him and Doctor, as three copies of himself, two facing Doctor, one facing Nemo.

"Enough." Doctor said simply and something rippled away from his body. Nemo couldn't exactly see it, but he felt the force pass over his body and head down the street.

Suddenly, the street was packed with people again as their eyes rolled into the backs of their heads and they collapsed on the street. One man remained standing, stumbling backwards but remaining on his feet, and it was clear it was Skain. Skain looked up with disbelief on his face, staring at Doctor.

"As I said, it is only a Devil Fruit." Doctor repeated, walking forward to pick up the fallen bag.

"Nemo, don't think I'll leave you alone for long." Skain said before disappearing in a column of smoke.

"Nemo, who the hell was that?" Doctor asked, turning to face Nemo.

"Doctor, you cannot tell the others about this man." Nemo said as a reply, turning to walk off.

"What? Why not?"

"I cannot say, but do not tell them."

Doctor paused briefly, wondering who the man had been. "Fine, but I am going to come and ask questions later. But right now, it's time to head back to the ship."

Nemo turned with a quizzical look on his face, but Doctor just jerked his thumb over his shoulder where a mass of Marines were heading their way. "Let's go." He said, running past Nemo who paused briefly before following him.

Something rose from the ground towards the Admiral's hand, forming into a long thin object. He spun it in his hand once before pointing it in Kai's direction and throwing it like a javelin. Kai's eyes widened at the speed it flew and jerked his head to the right to avoid it stabbing him in the eye. As he did so he glanced at it, noting it seemed to be made of compacted dirt and rock. He also noted the two Marines in coats moving towards Marshall, side by side, in the shadow of the spear.

Kai smirked and lurched forward, planting his foot into the side of the one closest to him. The marine cried out and was thrown sideways, where he crashed into his partner and both of them were sent flying into a building, crashing through the wall and disappearing into the shadows.

"Marshall, get back to the ship. I'll meet you there soon." Kai said, turning to face the Admiral, who was rolling his sleeves up with a smile.

"Kai, you can't fight him, his power is too great!" Marshall said, uncharacteristically afraid.

"Marshall…" Kai said and turned, placing his hand on Marshall's stomach and giving a sharp push. It was a small movement but the gangly pirate was sent flying backwards, sliding on the ground. "…get back to the ship." His voice radiated command and when Marshall came to a stop, he only paused briefly before turning around and sprinting off.

Kai turned back to face the Admiral and had to bend his back to avoid a hand swiping at his face. He used the momentum to drop to the floor and rolled backwards, away from the Admiral who had appeared directly in front of him.

"Nice reflexes." Aokiji said, stretching his neck. "But how long can you keep it up?" he disappeared in a plume of dust and appeared behind Kai, swiping at the back of his head.

Kai smirked again and dropped his head forward, planting his hands on the ground and kicking up. Aokiji bounced off the ground and flipped high over the kick, landing back where he started, bent legs and both hands raised. Kai didn't stop his kick and used the momentum to flip his body upright, and then plunged forward with a striking punch. He had to twist his body to avoid the swiping hand again but his punch missed the mark by an inch as Aokiji stepped backwards, disappearing and appearing a number of feet away from him. Kai pulled back to a standing position and cracked his knuckles.

"Soru and Geppou; didn't think I'd see a Rokushiki user in the West. But then I suppose all Admirals can use it." Kai said, smiling at the impressed face of Aokiji.

"It seems you are everything you are rumoured to be, Kai Velure. Standing up to an Admiral is no easy feat." Aokiji said cracking his own knuckles. "But don't think you can escape from me."

"Try me." Kai replied, gesturing with one hand for Aokiji to advance.

Aokiji smiled and dashed forward, once again swiping at Kai with his hand. This time Kai didn't dodge as he took a step forward and caught the attack in his own hand, his other one snapping out and catching the Admiral's other wrist.

Aokiji started laughing as he gripped Kai's hand tightly. "Got you." He said and stared at Kai with his smile.

A couple of seconds passed before Aokiji's smile disappeared and he looked at his left hand, the one which clenched Kai's hand.

"Were you expecting something to happen if you're left hand touched me?" Kai said, smiling himself as his arm gained hard edges and became clear like glass. "I'm hoping you didn't plan to fight me without first researching me." He said, laughing again.

_A/N: Aokiji vs Kai, this should be interesting. It's also going to be awesome so keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way soon._


	51. The New Admiral Aokiji

_A/N: Ooo, lucky you. A chapter update so soon after the last one! Not only that, however, as this is also a double chapter update. But this is only because I'm on holiday for two weeks from Saturday and as such will not be able to submit chapters during that time. So read on…_

**The New Admiral Aokiji**

"How…?" Aokiji started, staring at his and Kai's left hands clenched together.

"How what, I've no idea what you were trying to do, I just like to observe the people I'm fighting." Kai said, his smile still broad. At Aokiji's confused look, Kai continued. "Since the spear you threw at me, you've attacked only with your left hand in a claw shape, a bit of a give away you're trying to grab me. You've also not used your right hand since the spear, sticking with that left hand, so it must have a slightly different ability to your right hand." He paused to gauge Aokiji's reaction. "The spear tells me you've got a Devil Fruit and it's quite common for hand-based ones to have different abilities on each hand."

"Judging by the look of surprise on your face, I'm also guessing you weren't expecting the properties of my body to change, so you must be trying to get skin contact. As to what will happen if I let you touch me with your left hand, I have no idea but I don't plan to find out."

Aokiji opened his mouth to speak when there was a cacophony of coughing and the two other marines appeared out of the hole Kai and sent them tumbling into. "Momonga, Yamakaji, get after the other one."

The two Vice-Admirals patted themselves down and made to move off after Marshall. Kai growled and by twisting his body, he wrenched Aokiji from the floor and slammed him into it, directly in front of Momonga and Yamakaji. The two of them backed away as cracks snaked across the ground from beneath Aokiji. It was then that Kai realised the Admiral had managed to get one leg under himself and was now stood on one foot.

"Not as easy as you think, is it?" he asked before pulling Kai off his own feet and slamming him down into the ground with a twisting motion of his own. Aokiji nodded at the Vice-Admirals and they started to move again.

"I don't think so…" Kai said as he head-butted Aokiji in the face and used the rebound to slam the back of his own head into the ground.

As his head hit the ground, the point of contact became angled and clear, like glass, as well as the ground around it. It spread quickly towards the Vice-Admirals, who both backed away, but they were too slow as spikes shot out of the newly covered ground and pierced them in the legs. Instantly, the substance crawled up their bodies and in seconds they were frozen in place; covered from head to toe in diamond with looks of shock trapped on their faces.

"Diamond?" Aokiji said as Kai head-butted him again, causing him to reel back and release his grip on Kai. Kai used the opportunity to roll away from his opponent and hop back to his feet, sliding to a stop and cracking his knuckles. "But…Jozu of the Whitebeard pirates has the Diamond Devil Fruit…" Aokiji said, obviously confused.

"Well, at least you didn't confuse me with that fatty." Kai said with a grin. "But I can see how you would be confused; especially since Mr Jozu does have the Diamond fruit. But then, what can I have?" When Aokiji didn't answer Kai continued. "But before that, I am disappointed that you don't know about me; I would have thought that an Admiral would at least research me before a confrontation." Aokiji frowned but did not reply, earning a smile from Kai.

"Naiya Naiya No Mi." Kai said, raising his arms to his shoulders. "That is the name of my fruit. But then, I suppose that doesn't help you with your confusion. Tell me, Admiral, what are the three different types of Devil Fruit?"

Aokiji's eyes narrowed before he answered. "Do you really think I would engage in conversation with you, I'm placing you under arrest or killing you." Kai didn't reply but cocked his head to the side with a raised eyebrow. "Fine, I'll play your game. Zoan, Paramecia and Logia; these are the three forms a Devil Fruit can take."

"Good." Kai said in a very patronizing voice, his grin still on his face. "Now, I'm obviously not a Zoan, so you can strike that one off the list. But now you have to decide whether I am a Paramecia or a Logia. Explain to me, if you will, what Jozu does when he activates his fruit."

Aokiji frowned but answered anyway. "He converts his body to diamond to attack and defend."

"Close, but not quite. Little Jozu actually just covers his body in diamond to attack and defend. The property of his body does not change from being human, so what does that make him."

Aokiji's brow had furrowed, showing he was thinking hard. Then his eyebrows shot up in realisation. "A paramecia…but that means…" he didn't get to finish his line of thought as Kai appeared in front of him with a kick aimed at his head. The admiral was quick to react, however, as he swayed backwards, planting his back foot hard in the ground.

Kai's reach was longer then expected though as his foot crashed into Aokiji's head, but he didn't move further then an inch. "Tekkai…" Aokiji growled as he reached up and grabbed hold of Kai's extended leg. "…Dangan!" his fist flashed forward and landed in Kai's ribs.

There was a sound like ice breaking as Kai's body was rocked sideways, his teeth clenched down hard. Kai then rotated his body and kicked Aokiji in the other side of his head, this time taking him off his feet and dumping him on the floor, making him release his leg at the same time. Kai landed and jumped away again, clutching his ribs where Aokiji had hit him.

"Damn, you punch like a train." He said, stretching off his arm and side by reaching his arm up as far as it would go. "But you're not the only one who can harden their body on a whim." He smiled as another crack sounded the air and he twisted his upper body to show he was not damaged. "Unfortunately, I don't think you are on the level of the Admiral's back in my day."

Aokiji picked himself up and dusted down his suit, stretching his neck as he did so. "Maybe, but I don't think so." He smiled and then disappeared with Soru, appearing behind Kai with an overhead kick that landed on his shoulder. Kai's knees bent slightly, but that was the only reaction before Aokiji appeared back where he started. "I get it now…" he said, cracking his knuckles. "You use your logia powers to harden your body into diamond when I attack, making hand-to-hand combat pretty damn difficult. But why do you only stick to that, why not go on the offensive?"

It was Kai's turn to smile as he crossed his arms. "I'm trying really hard not to kill you, because that would be such a shame."

A sigh escaped from Aokiji's lips before he dashed forward again, his intent clear as he pulled his fist back. Kai continued smiling and stood there, arms open to receive the attack and prove that Aokiji could not break him. However, as Aokiji neared him, the Admiral slowed down dramatically and instead of punching Kai in the chest, he gently placed his fingers there.

"Got you." He said with a smile as a hole appeared in Kai's chest, as large as a dinner plate, throwing shards of diamond to the ground behind him.

Kai's eyes opened in surprise as the hole started to widen, spreading across his chest. As it did so, Kai's entire body transformed into the clear, glass-like diamond as he slowly disintegrated. When the hole was as large as his chest, it sped up and Kai managed to mutter a curse before his body was reduced to tiny broken shards of diamond in a neat pile at Aokiji's feet.

Aokiji chuckled and gestured with his right hand, attempting to move the pile, but nothing happened. "That's strange; I should be able to control it." He tried again, but nothing happened. "Is it different because he's a logia?" he frowned and bent down, stirring the diamond with his finger. "Not as strong as you thought you were, or perhaps you've lost some of your strength in the time you've been absent. Either way, I win, Kai Velure." He stood up and looked down at the pile, contemplating.

"For good measure." He said before kicking the pile and spreading the shards across the street, and then stamping them into the dust.

"Admiral Aokiji!" a voice said and Aokiji turned to see a marine messenger running up to him; a Den Den Mushi in hand. He stopped in front of him and threw up a salute, which Aokiji returned. "A communication from the Fleet Admiral, Sir."

Aokiji nodded and took the Den Den Mushi before ushering the marine away. Then he lifted the receiver, holding the snail in the palm of his hand. "Fleet Admiral?"

"Admiral Aokiji, are the rumours true?" the snail said, its lips moving to the words spoken by the Fleet Admiral. "Has the pirate Kai Velure returned?"

"It is true. However, he will no longer be a problem. I've dealt with him already."

"Are you sure? He is said to be as strong as any of the Yonkou, he is a dangerous opponent."

Aokiji smiled and glanced at the scattered diamond shards. "Yes, I'm su…" he stopped as one of the shards seemed to move across the ground.

"Aokiji?" the snail said, the question clear in his voice.

As Aokiji watched, more shards started to move and were gathering at a central point. In seconds a hand had formed out of diamond and was clawing at the floor. Seconds later an arm had formed, as well as a second hand. What followed was the quick forming of a body until the diamond form of Kai was crouched on all fours on the floor. It looked up at Aokiji and smiled as the colour returned to him.

He laughed out loud before speaking. "Did you think you had me?" he said before disappearing and appearing further down the street, running around the corner.

"Damn it!" Aokiji cursed, nearly crushing the snail in his hand.

"Admiral Aokiji!" the voice became more demanding and Aokiji raised the speaker to his lips again.

"Seems like I was wrong, Kai Velure is still active…he was stronger then I initially thought."

"Don't worry, that was expected. Now…"

"What!" Aokiji interrupted, earning an angry pause from the snail. "Sorry, sir."

"Now you need to return to HQ, I'm calling a meeting."

"A meeting, sir?"

"Yes, it is about time the Royal Shichibukai were introduced to each other and informed of the current situation regarding Kai Velure and his crew. Messages have been sent, also to the Admiral's, and I expect you to attend as soon as possible."

"Aye, sir." He said as the Fleet Admiral hung up on his end, allowing Aokiji to do the same. The messenger returned, followed by a contingent of marines. Aokiji returned the snail and turned to the Captain in charge.

"Send the other two ships around the island to see if you can catch the pirates. The escorts and the battleship are coming with me."

"Yes, sir." The captain paused and then decided he could ask the question. "Where is it you are going sir?"

Aokiji paused before answering. "I have been recalled to Marine HQ." he said before stalking off, waving his hand behind him, causing the crowds to pour out of the buildings they had been confined to. "I have a meeting with some scummy pirates."

The Captain watched as Aokiji disappeared round the corner and then issued the orders given to him by Aokiji. Although he told the messengers to tell the ships to hang back a little bit, for he knew the power that Kai Velure possessed.

_A/N: A wee bit of a shorter chapter this time, but oh well; there's no point waffling if I have nothing else to say. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, it sure was exciting writing it anyway. Another chapter complete, another chapter heading your way soon; keep your eyes and ears peeled, readers!_


	52. The Call of the Fleet Admiral

_A/N: Immediate second chapter! Have fun…_

**The Call of the Fleet Admiral**

The large ship was docked on an island in the Grand Line, an uninhabited island apart from dangerous animals. The strangest thing on the island though was the heavy white clouds hovering above it, whereas the sky around it was perfectly clear. The clouds were pouring snow onto the island, and the ship with it. The level of snow was deep enough that it was clear it had been non-stop for over a week.

The bat swerved into the snowy region and was nearly taken out of the sky by the heavy flakes landing on its wing. It righted itself, gripping the paper harder in its claw to make sure it wasn't blown away by the wind. With a unique agility it closed its scraggly wings and spiralled downwards, before gliding across and landing gently on the side railing of the ship. It shuffled around a bit to clear the cold snow from beneath its claws and then waited for acknowledgement.

Not more then a minute later a tall man came up a trapdoor in the centre of the deck and made his way over to the bat. He was wearing heavy clothing, all fur-lined, and shiny black boots that glistened with melted snow. A large broad-axe, entirely plated in gold, was slung across his back on a frayed rope and he had a scroll tucked into his belt. He nodded to the bat and grasped the paper, pulling it out of the bats grasp, and unfurled it, glancing at the contents.

"Wait." He said with a gruff voice, leaving wisps of breath escaping from his mouth.

He turned around sharply and made his way back to the trapdoor, the heavy snow already filling in the footprints he had left on the way out. Using the side of his boot, he swept the gathering snow off the top of the door and quickly entered it; his lanky frame making traversing the ladder easy.

The inside of the ship was just as cold as the air outside, the man's breath still appearing as he breathed, and it was dark. Only a stray lamp scattered down the corridor gave out light and only then, the bare minimum; bathing a few yards in flickering orange light. It didn't seem to bother the man, swathed up in fur as he was, as he strode down the corridor, his destination clear in his mind.

It was a long corridor but eventually it ended, leaving the man facing a dead end of a tall door; strange symbols carved into it like a name. The letter clasped in his left hand, he used his right to knock lightly on the door. There was no immediate reply so he knocked again, slightly louder, this time earning a grunt of admittance from the occupier. With a gentle push, the door creaked open and allowed the man to enter.

"Captain?" the man said, waiting for a reply.

He was talking to another man of similar height, although he was folded in half sat in a small chair, and who was wearing similar clothing. However, where the first man's clothing was well cared for, this new man clearly did not have the same standard of maintenance. His clothes were fraying and tearing, and was spotted with dark splotches at random intervals. When a person matched that with the lack of hair on his head, save for a few wisps floating here and there, the man gave off the impression of having come back from the dead.

"Captain?" the first man asked again.

"Mmm?" The Captain said, keeping himself to the writing he was doing.

"A Message from the Marines."

"Why should I care for such frivolities?"

"It is the Fleet Admiral."

The Captain turned slowly in his chair and looked at the man, a smile showing off crooked teeth. "What would the dear Fleet Admiral want with me?" he cackled softly.

* * *

The tall man was stood in a drab office, at a flaking wooden desk, with only a single window to let any kind of light in. He was leaning forwards, resting both hands on the table, looking at a number of documents he had set out on the table in front of him. Some had small pictures on them, but most of them were blocks of text; reports on different situations. The only ones that differed from these reports were three bounty posters pinned to the head of the table.

His skin was darker then most and his blue hair was spiked up on his head. He wore a blue jacket and brown shorts, boots adorned his feet and stylised gloves were snug on his hands. The man reached down and pulled out a particularly long report, scanning its contents for the name he was searching for.

"Oh, Randall, what have you gotten yourself into." He muttered, putting the paper aside and picking up another one, this one considerably shorter. He sighed and dropped the report back onto the table before shuffling all the paper together to make a neat pile. He then unpinned the three bounty posters and folded them into his pocket.

He used his back to bump the door open and nearly knocked over a marine who was about to knock on the door. "Sorry." The marine said and stepped back to allow the man to right himself. "I have a message for you."

"It will have to wait, I have more important things to do." The man said, ignoring the protests the marine had started. He proceeded down the corridor and pushed his way into another room, dumping the pile of paper onto a desk of a startled marine. Without a further word he spun out of the room and nearly ran down the corridor in an effort to leave the building.

"Pirate!" a voice shouted and the man spun around to retort, but realised it was a Vice-Admiral, causing him to hesitate. "It is rude to ignore my subordinates."

"Kaizeruhige." The man said, turning to leave again.

"It is also rude not to listen to a message when it is being passed on, less the messenger gets punished for failing to deliver the message." Kaizeruhige said, crossing his arms.

The man sighed and turned to face the marine again. "Fine, what is the message?"

"You have been summoned…" he eyed the man as he began to protest. "…by the Fleet Admiral."

His reply paused slightly, but the man continued. "I have no requirement to answer the summons of a Marine." He said coldly.

"'He'…" he pulled out a sheet of paper opened it, showing the contents to the man. "…insists that you go."

The pirate walked up to Kaizeruhige and pulled the paper from his hands. "Well, it seems I am required to go…" he threw the paper to the floor and spun on his heels, striding for the exit once again.

"Where was it you were rushing to?" Kaizeruhige shouted.

"None of your business." The man shouted back over his shoulder, before exiting through the door.

* * *

For a ship of its size, the large cargo ship held little in the way of passengers, but it was well protected nonetheless. Aside from the Captain, there were 5 other workers and 20 men sitting in the hull. These 20 men had been hired by the Captain to protect the ship in case Pirates decided that they wanted what it carried; after all, the Ship did belong to a bank. The Captain had decided that since he was transporting millions of beri worth of gold, as well as bags of notes, a few extra guards would be a lot better if the pirates came in force.

What the Captain didn't know, however, was that his ship was probably one of the best protected ships on the sea. The reason for this was the sleeping figure, stashed away in the caged area of the ship where the gold was actually kept. The glistening skin, which was striped orange and white, along with the distorted features gave the figure away as a Fishman. Apart from blue shorts tied off at the knee, with a sword tucked into a black fabric belt at his waist, the Fishman left his skin free and naked.

He was laid back casually, using the bags full of beri notes as a makeshift bed, and had his hands tucked in behind his head. He was still but his body suddenly rocked as his jaw grew wide with a yawn, and his arms stretched up above his head. The Fishman sat forward and rubbed the back of his head, taking the time to wake up from the sleep he had been having.

With another stretch he stood up to his pretty tall full height and cracked the joints in his knees and elbows. He walked forward and nudged the should-have-been-locked unlocked cage door and trudged slowly towards the room door opposite him. When he pushed it open, it revealed the 20 guards sitting at tables, awaiting to be needed, who all jumped up at his appearance.

"Who the hell are you and how the hell did you get in there!" One man said, settling the sights of his rifle on the Fishman.

The Fishman looked around slowly as the others lowered their rifles to a firing position, but shrugged and pointed up towards the deck. "More importantly…" he said as a cannonball suddenly crashed through the wall of the room.

"Pirates!" One of the men shouted and the group turned away from the Fishman and stormed up the stairs, intent on meeting the pirates in battle.

The Fishman was less enthusiastic, not moving while the guards all rushed out. Once the room was clear and the sounds of fighting appeared over head he started to walk towards one of the exits, very slowly. He tucked the edges of his webbed thumbs into the belt around his waist and walked forward, kicking at the floor with his webbed toes. The sound of fighting was already starting to die out as the Fishman opened the door that led up onto the deck.

Taking one slow step at a time, he eventually made it to the top; the sounds of fighting having come to a complete stop now. When he exited onto the deck, he saw quite a lot of dead pirates but a few dead guards mixed into them. Then he looked to the centre of the deck and saw a single figure surrounded by the remaining guards.

"Give up, your pathetic pirate crew is no match for us." One of the guards said, brandishing his sword.

The lone figure stood in the centre of the circle with fury on his face, a long straight sword was held across his body as he fumed. As the Fishman walked up to the back of the circle, the figure looked up and his mouth fell agape.

"What the hell is one of you doing here!" he said, gripping his sword and pulling it to an attack position.

"Well…" The Fishman started but was interrupted as a carrier bird dropped a letter onto the floor at his feet. He paused before bending down and picking it up, ripping the seal and scanning the insides. "Eh…" He said, shrugging his shoulders. He threw the letter away and looked at the pirate.

"So…I've got a meeting soon. Can we get this over with quickly, but without too much effort?" the Fishman asked.

* * *

The man, his features young enough that he could be called a boy, was sat on a lush sofa of green leather. His skin was a pasty white and the kimono he wore was only slightly brighter. The man's small stature made him seem nervous as he leant forward on his knees, his fingers knitted together in front of him. A standard sized ship wheel was resting against his leg and bounced along with the movement of his knee.

He had been sat alone for a while but the door suddenly swung open and a stocky man walked into the room. "Ah, my boy!" he said with a booming voice, striding over and ruffling the short black hair of the boy. "You've finally arrived!"

"Yes, Rear-Admiral, I arrived this morning." The boy said, looking up at the man.

"Dear boy, call me Norman." The one called Norman said, laughing again as he did so. The boy didn't reply but relaxed slightly as Norman took a seat next to him on the sofa, dropping the six swords he had had on his back, onto the floor beside him. "How have you been holding up?" he asked gently.

"Well enough as can be expected." The boy said stiffly.

"Indeed…" he did not continue as a knock came at the door. "Enter!"

A marine stepped into the room and saluted smartly, brandishing a letter with his other hand at the same time. "A message, Sir."

"Well, pass it here then." Norman said, extended an open hand.

"It is addressed to…" he nodded his head towards the boy, as if afraid to utter his name.

"Then give it to him, blimey man, he's not that terrifying!" the marine stepped forward and passed the envelope across to the boy, nearly bowing as he did so. As soon as the letter left his hands, he threw a salute to Norman and practically ran out of the room. "I swear, some of these marines have absolutely no backbones, although if they're scared of you, I suppose you are doing your job. Eh?" He turned to the boy who suddenly jumped to his feet, picking up the ships wheel as he did so. "What is it?"

"The Fleet Admiral calls, I must leave for HQ at once." He moved across to one of the windows in the room and flung it open before throwing the wheel out of it. "Rear-Admiral, could you please inform the Fleet Admiral that I am on my way." He said, glancing at Norman before jumping out of the window after his wheel.

Norman sighed and leant back on the sofa. "I suppose I will. Marine!" he shouted the last one to get someone's attention.

_A/N: And so introductions are half-made. If you recognised your character (which I hope you did) did you like it? Also, proper credit will be made next chapter at the proper introductions. So keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter, where these lovely individuals get to meet each other. Ta ra! _


	53. The Warlords Meet In Council

_A/N: Sorry for the mahusive delay in updating this, I hadn't realised it had been so long! So as a special treat, here's two chapters in a row for you to feast on, I hope you enjoy them!_

**The Warlords Meet in Council**

Captain Nate Whitestone sat in his office at the Marine HQ located on the far side of the Red Line, the sea known as the 'New World'. Ever since joining the Marines many years ago, he has risen through the ranks quite spectacularly in conjunction with other marines of his generation. As such, despite his relatively low rank, he was assigned to man the new HQ building, due to his intelligence, after it had been destroyed by the now notorious Blackbeard.

Nate was relatively tall, even sat down as he was, and had medium length brown hair which was swept back along his head. His eyes were a dark brown and his mouth was nearly constantly in a frown. He wore a dark red, double breasted suit with a blue shirt, open at the collar showing a diamond necklace at his throat. A long marine jacket was resting on the back of his chair, indicating his rank as a Captain.

He was currently reading through a report requesting 5 battleships and 8 marine contingents to be sent to the North Blue. The North was currently being besieged by revolutionaries calling themselves the 'Order of the White Eagle'. Nate was having a hard time deciding what to do; he could tell that the North desperately needed help, but 5 battleships and 8 marine contingents was a lot to remove from somewhere else. He sighed but was saved from making a decision right then as a knock came at his door.

"Enter." He said confidently, looking up to see who it was.

It turned out to be a Marine messenger clutching a thick stack of files. The messenger entered the room and threw up a smart salute, balancing the files expertly in one hand. "The files you requested, Captain." She said, dropping the salute and walking up to his desk.

"Thank you." He said, indicating the files to be placed on the desk in front of him. "You may leave."

The messenger dropped the files, pushing the sides to make the pile neat, before saluting and exiting the room quickly. Nate stacked the reports he had been reading and slipped them into his top draw, making a mental note to get back to them later. He pulled the stack of files closer and then separated them out to lie across the top of his desk; there were seven in total. Each file had a picture on the cover with a name and a number below it.

"The Royal Shichibukai; pirates sanctioned by the World Government itself." He muttered to himself, looking over the files.

**Lord Juracule 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk**

**Previous Bounty: Classified**

**Lord Bartholomew 'Tyrant' Kuma**

**Previous Bounty: B290,000,000**

**Lord Donquixote DoFlamingo**

**Previous Bounty: B340,000,000**

**Lord Abekket Quasar**

**Previous Bounty: B280,000,000**

**Lord Susumu**

**Previous Bounty: B60,000,000**

**Lord Rasputin 'The Crimson Ghost' Kolesnikov**

**Previous Bounty: B270,000,000**

**Lord Sea Wasp**

**Previous Bounty: B100,000,000**

Nate picked up Mihawk's file with a frown. "Why is his previous bounty classified?" he asked himself, opening the file only to find it empty. It was filled with nothing but blank paper, with the exception of a small note inserted near the back. "The files of Juracule Mihawk are off limits to all those not a member of the Gorosei." Nate read, confusion flashing across his grumpy face. "Something has always been strange with that man." He said, putting the file aside and picking up Kuma's.

He proceeded to read through each of the pirates' files, taking notes of powers and anything else he deemed important and was more then half way through when a knock sounded at his door. He started to speak but the door opened before he could, making him spring to his feet in anger before he realised who it was.

"Admiral Aokiji, sir!" he said, coming to attention and saluting the superior officer.

"Captain Whitestone, are you allowed to be reading those?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Sir?" Nate said, forcing himself to remain still.

"I joke, Captain, I joke. Please, take a seat." Aokiji said, walking into the room as Nate sat down. "I just happened to see that you requested the files and was wondering why you wanted to see them, I wouldn't have thought it is related to your job here."

"Not directly. I haven't yet met all of the new members and since there is a meeting today, I thought it would be prudent to look up on them."

Aokiji nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense. Wouldn't want to run into one of them in the hallways and not know who they are!" he chuckled softly. "I still can't believe I was here before them, I was all the way in the West blue! Even using the various shortcuts, it took ages to get here!" he shook his head and took a seat in one of Nate's visitors chairs. "So…" Aokiji started, but was interrupted by Nate's Desk Den Den Mushi ringing. Nate looked at Aokiji, who nodded, before picking it up.

"Captain Nate Whitestone." He said.

"Captain, the final Royal Shichibukai is approaching and the Fleet Admiral is requesting those on duty to take their places." The snail said, imitating the voice of the Marine talking in the other end.

"Thank you, I am on my way." Nate said before hanging up and lifting himself off his chair, pulling his jacket up and resting it on his shoulders.

"You are in the meeting?" Aokiji questioned, standing up as well.

"I am on guard duty for the meeting." Nate answered, walking towards the door.

"Oh right. Then stick with me for the time being, I'll make sure you know who's who when they enter the meeting." Aokiji said, overtaking Nate and leaving by the door.

Nate followed behind, locking the door behind him, and fell in beside the Admiral as they made their way towards the meeting room, located near the centre of the complex. They passed plenty of marines on the way, who all stopped to salute Admiral Aokiji, and nod respectfully to Nate, before carrying on with their duties.

It didn't take them long before they reached the large doors that led to the central meeting room, the one where the Shichibukai meet. Aokiji sped up a little bit to enter the door first, and as he swung it open, a figure at the far end of the hall turned to face them.

He was as tall as Aokiji, with curly black hair that he had pulled into a mini afro ponytail at the base of his neck. He was wearing a crisp white suit, buttoned down the centre with a high straight collar, and a purple shirt with a yellow tie. His black shoes were shined to perfection, as were the medals running across the left side of his chest. Finally, he wore a turquoise sash running from his right shoulder, to the left side of his waist.

"Fleet Admiral!" Aokiji said, coming to attention and saluting before relaxing again. "Kuzan, aren't you all dressed up." Aokiji said, smiling.

"Aokiji, the suit is necessary to present the right picture to these pirates." Kuzan, the former Admiral Aokiji, said with a lazy tone.

"I'm glad to see promotion didn't pick you up on a high horse, Kuzan. Where are Borsalino and Sakuraba?" Aokiji asked, looking at the three empty seats that the Admirals would take during the meeting.

"Admiral Kizaru should be here any minute but Admiral Akainu will not be joining us for the meeting; he has other, more delicate, matters to attend to. However, he has been informed of the contents of this meeting."

"Velure…" Aokiji growled. Kuzan nodded his agreement.

"Take your seat Admirals." Kuzan said, just as Admiral Kizaru entered the room.

"Ahh, Carter, Fleet Admiral." Kizaru said, his trademark yellow striped suit clean and pressed; his marine coat across his shoulders. "I remember a pirate by the name of Velure, but I was under the impression he should be dead."

"That is the nature of this meeting, Kizaru. Now, the Shichibukai will be here soon; take your seats." The two Admirals nodded and moved across to their seats. Aokiji gestured for Nate to stand behind him.

There was a couple of minutes wait, during which mid-ranking marines took up guard positions along the outer edge of the room, before the first Shichibukai made his entrance.

The massive figure was nearly as tall as the door itself, walking through with one hand by his side, the other clutching a bible at his stomach. He wore a black zip-up top, with a white target design splashed across the front, light shaded purple trousers with paw designs scattered across them, and thick black shoes. His jaw was large and his eyes reflected the light like glass, which they were. His curly brown hair was tucked into a small hat, round ears sticking out the top, with spots covering it.

"I take it you know him." Aokiji muttered to Nate.

"Bartholomew Kuma, the Tyrant." Nate replied at the same level of noise.

The massive Kuma entered the room silently and took his seat in much the same way, sparing a glance only to look towards Kuzan before turning his head back to face the front. The room's attention was taken away from him though as the door swung open again and two figures entered side by side.

The figure on the left was short, dwarfed by the man next to him, and his face gave away how young he was. His skin was a pale white and his short black hair was spiked up, his piercing blue eyes were scanning the room nervously. He was wearing a pure white kimono that had the marine's symbol stitched into the back, under which he wore a plain white t-shirt and straight white trousers. He wore plain wooded clogs on his bare feet. Strangely, it seemed that he had strapped a ship's wheel to his back.

"Abekket Quasar on the left." Aokiji muttered. Nate nodded to himself.

The second figure was a strange one. He was tall and gangly, skinny to the point of starvation, and where Abekket was simply pale, he looked sickly. There were only wisps of white hair scattered across his head and his teeth were yellow and crooked. He was wearing loose white t-shirt, a faded yellow sash around his waist, and loose black trousers tucked into dirty brown boots. He was also swathed in a large fur coat which nearly drowned him in its vastness. With the exception of the coat, all of his clothes were torn in various places and splotched with patches of brown and red.

"Rasputin Kolesnikov on the right; forever looking like he's just crawled out of a hole." Aokiji said.

"Ah, Fleet Admiral Kuzan; what a pleasure it is to be in your company." Rasputin said, bowing extravagantly with a wide sweep of his arm. "It has been many years since I have answered the call of a marine, but I got the impression that this is about something important."

"You shouldn't be so disrespectful of the Fleet Admiral, Kolesnikov." Abekket said, throwing and angry stare at his fellow pirate.

Rasputin turned slowly to face the much shorter pirate and bent over to lower his ear to the boy. "I'm sorry boy, I didn't quite catch that." He smiled wickedly and held a hand up to his ear. "Please repeat it."

"Rasputin, enough. Both of you may take your seats." Kuzan said, interfering before anything started between them.

Before anyone could say anything else, the doors swung open again and two more figures entered. Like Rasputin and Abekket, one was taller then the other, but the difference with this pair was nothing more then a few inches. The main difference between these two was the fact that one of them was a Fishman.

The Fishman was the taller of the two, and his skin was smooth and slick; making his race clear. He had no hair to speak of, instead his head was covered in small spines in its place; these ran down his spine and covered various parts of his body. The rest of his body was a mix of orange and white stripes, thicker then normal, and his hands and feet were webbed. The only thing he wore was a pair of blue shorts tied at the knee and a sword tucked into the black belt at his waist. His face was distorted, making it look like he was constantly frowning.

"Sea Wasp." Aokiji said.

The second, slightly shorter, figure had darker skin then most and blue hair that was spiked upwards. He wore a navy blue jacket, fur innards peaking out at the collar, over brown shorts with bright green tassels hanging down the front. Heavy boots clunked at his feet and he had a pair of fingerless gloves on his hand; metal circles sewn into the knuckles and when he flexed his fingers, he showed that they had circles cut out of the palms. Unlike the frowning face of his companion, his face was warm, a smile on his lips.

"Susumu." Aokiji said, Nate nodding behind him.

"I hope this meeting is important, Kuzan. It took a lot of effort to get here." Sea Wasp, the Fishman, said, yawning into his hand.

"I do have more important things to be doing then this meeting, so let's get it over with." Susumu said, his voice cold despite the smile on his lips.

Kuzan yawned himself and waved the two pirates to their seats. "Well, this'll probably be all of you. So let's…"

"I believe Juracule is here." A voice said from behind him, and as Kuzan turned to see who it was, the door opened again.

Juracule Mihawk, the strongest swordsman in the world, entered the door slowly; his wide-brimmed hat on his head and his long coat flapping behind him. Behind his head stood the large handle of his sword, the Black Sword; Kokuto Yoru. He walked forwards, directly to the chair in front of him, and slouched into it, his sword leant behind the chair onto the backrest. He tilted the chair back and planted his boots on the table. He looked around at the expressions of his fellow pirates, as well as the Marines, and then looked back to Kuzan.

"I heard what this meeting was about, and if it is true, then they are of interest to me." He said, simply, crossing his arms.

"The rumours you hear are true, Juracule Mihawk." The voice from behind Kuzan said again. The figure stepped forward into the light, revealing a relatively short man in a white kimono, a large katana held sheathed in his right hand. A second man, this one in a simple black suit and sporting an impressive beard, stepped out behind him. "Kai D Velure has returned."

_A/N: And so the meeting begins! Now, let me credit the people who require crediting: Credit goes to **Jetakon** for Abekket Quasar & Sea Wasp, **Oggytheogre321** for Rasputin Kolesnikov, and **Newtilator** for Susumu. The meeting continues next chapter, so keep your eyes and ears peeled in this direction. _


	54. A Dangerous Individual

_A/N: A treat…so read on!_

**A Dangerous Individual**

The reaction was less then most would expect, even with the name of such an infamous pirate announced to the room. In fact, the marines on duty showed more shock then the gathered pirates, who had good reason not to be surprised or stunned. As with Juracule, some of them had guessed or discovered the purpose of the meeting beforehand, the others simply didn't know who the man behind then name was. The only person who showed any kind of different reaction was Rasputin, who raised an eyebrow.

"Fleet Admiral, please continue." The man with the sword said, gesturing the other man to follow him as they took up position on two comfy chairs that had somehow appeared in the corner of the room. The man with the beard and suit sat down with a straight back, and crossed his legs; the man with the sword slouched down onto the chair and tucked one leg up under his other before resting his sword on his shoulder.

Kuzan nodded to the two individuals before turning back to the others, stepping down and up to the table. He pulled out a scrap of paper and placed it on the table, showing off Kai's face and bounty. "This is Kai D Velure. For those of you familiar with the name, you will understand why this is an issue that needs addressing. For those of you, who do not know him, he is one of the most dangerous individuals sailing the seas."

"Wait…" Rasputin said, frowning. "…I certainly haven't heard anything about this man recently, how many years ago did he cause trouble?"

"20 years ago, an Ex-Shichibukai engaged him in a vicious battle, which was presumed won. He reported that he had killed Kai as well as the rest of his crew before relinquishing his Shichibukai title and disappearing. Due to the fact that there were no bodies to present, his bounty was never officially rescinded."

"20 years? Why do you think he is still so dangerous?" Susumu asked, crossing his arms. "That's a long time ago."

"It is not so long ago for some people. If I tally off his repertoire, you will understand; during his time as a pirate, he has managed to kill off 2 Admirals, 6 Shichibukai, innumerable Marine Officers, hundreds of rival pirate crews, a Yonkou and he managed to beat the Fleet Admiral to a bloody pulp."

"That's a pretty audacious record." Sea Wasp put in.

"More importantly, I never heard any of this back then." Rasputin said.

"That's because it was covered up, for obvious reasons." Kuzan replied, clasping his hands behind his back. "20 years ago, the Fleet Admiral gave the order that no-one except Admirals and Shichibukai were to engage with this pirate, in fear that we would lose more people."

"Ok, but he is still just one man." Susumu said, still frowning.

"That is unconfirmed at present. Although he has been gathering new crew mates, they are too weak to be a threat with him around, we are not certain of his old crew. If Velure escaped death, there is every possibility that his crew did as well."

"Who was his crew?" Abekket said politely.

"His crew was thousands of people, but his original crew consisted of just 9. By the time Kai was killing Admirals, these people were just as dangerous. They are…Abekket?"

Kuzan had stopped because the marine-loving Abekket Quasar and suddenly stood up. As the other Shichibukai and Admirals looked at him in surprise, Abekket's face was also one of surprise. "Fleet Admiral, it is not me." He managed to say as his hand reached behind his back and grasped one of the handles on the wheel he had strapped there. With a sharp tug, he revealed it to be a long stiletto-like dagger, as he turned to Rasputin and thrust forward with an attack.

Rasputin himself hardly moved, he simply lifted a hand up and allowed the blade to pierce him through the palm, before clenching his fingers around Abekket's hand. "It seems you really do hate me, now I'm going to have to kill you." Rasputin moved to stand up but suddenly froze in place as a laugh echoed from one of the windows.

"Fuffuffuffuffu!"

The rest of the people, with the exception of Mihawk, all turned to the window where the laugh had come from and saw a tall, gangly figure sat in the frame. His short blonde hair moved in the wind, along with the massively pluming pick coat he wore. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, pointed at the outer edges, and the smile on his face was wicked.

"Doflamingo, I did not expect you to attend." Kuzan said, aiming a lazy look towards the Shichibukai. "Now release them. I should think even you would have trouble with two Admirals." He said this because both Admiral Aokiji and Kizaru had stood up, Aokiji's fingers literally dug into the back of his chair.

"Fuffuffuff, it's no fun if they would fight each other anyway." Doflamingo laughed before closing his hands, jerking both Abekket and Rasputin free of their bonds. Immediately, Abekket pulled his blade free, cleaned it, and replaced it into his wheel. Rasputin frowned and lifted his hand up, watching as the small hole filled itself in a disappeared.

"Now he's had his fun, I shall continue." Kuazan said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out sheaves of paper. "Kai Velure's crew consisted of 9 other people apart from himself. These are their bounty posters, and bounties that are still in effect." He placed the papers on the tables, and spread them out, showing 8 pictures.

"First up is Razor Herald, the First Mate…" Mihawk cracked an eye open, where he had had them closed before. "…who is also an extremely accomplished swordsman." He pointed to the poster that showed Razor's face. "Second is Jigan Homiston, the navigator and possessor of the Gai Gai No Mi. Following on from him is Lisa Kolsetti, the musician, but also the holder of the mythical zoan, Jita Jita No Mi. Then it is Mojaye Yindier, the cook as well as a skilled marksman." As he spoke their names, he pointed to the matching picture. "Ruther Polinski, the shipwright and a master of Haki. Finally, Riku Tiverman, a man who called himself the lookout but held the immense power of the Raiden Raiden No Mi. These…"

"Uh, one second." Sea wasp said, his head leant in his hand. "That's eight, where is the ninth?"

"Well done, you can count." Susumu said, his smile having slipped of his face. Sea Wasp frowned, probably, but Kuzan continued to stop them fighting.

"Zion, the ninth person, is of no threat." He said before continuing with his previous conversation.

"These individuals form a powerful crew which was dubbed the 'Golden Age' of all pirates. Due to this I am issuing the order that no marine below the rank of Vice-Admiral is to directly confront any of these individuals and any Shichibukai who comes into contact with him is to contact the Marines as soon as possible; regardless of any plans you may have." Kuzan had added the last bit in because it had looked like some of the Shichibukai were about to object.

"What about the new pirates he is gathering?" Susumu asked.

"They are of no major threat at the moment and as such can be engaged by anyone in any way." Kuzan replied

"Fuffuffuff, this is boring. I thought it might be exciting to hear about the 'Golden Age' since back then, but this isn't fun at all." Doflamingo said, standing crouched on the windowsill "Just remember, I'm not a dog that will run when called." He laughed his distinct laugh again and launched himself out of the window.

Mihawk stood up and moved swiftly towards the exit, straightening his hat as he did so. "I have no further interest in this meeting." Was all he said before disappearing through the doorway. At the same time, the two old men stood up and left through a smaller doorway in the back of the room.

"Now, there are still some points we need to discuss…" Kuzan continued, facing the remaining Shichibukai as the Admiral's also left.

_A/N: Slightly shorter then a normal chapter but I've recently discovered there's no point in waffling on. Anyway, back to our awesome crew next chapter and they finally make their way into the Grand Line; but all is not as they would expect. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way soon! But beware, things shall soon come to a close...sort of.  
_


	55. Entering the Grand Line

_A/N: Update time! Other than that, carry on._

**Entering the Grand Line**

"Why the hell did we leave Kai there alone!" Marshall shouted, slamming his hand against the railing of their ship.

Marshall had left Kai to face the Admiral, after a little shove, and had sprinted back to the ship as fast as he could. When he got there, he had found Nemo and Doctor waiting for them. He had quickly explained that Kai was facing off against an Admiral and that Doctor should go and give him a hand, but Doctor brushed that notion to the side and told Marshall to get aboard. He did so, and even as he objected, Doctor started to get the ship moving. Now they were a fair bit away from Yew City and heading onwards, lacking a Captain.

"I told you to go back and help him!" Marshall said again, moving up to Doctor who was lounging against the side.

"So you did." Doctor replied, yawning wildly and looking out in the direction the ship was moving.

"He's probably been captured by now, or killed, and it's all because you decided to run away instead of fighting…"

"Enough!" Doctor said and turned back to Marshall with his arms crossed. "How much of an idiot are you, fretting over nonsense."

"Nonsense? He was facing an Admiral! No-one can face one of them alone." Marshall replied.

"You panic too much, Marshall." A voice said before behind, and Marshall turned to see Nemo stepping out of room below deck.

"Don't you remember who our Captain is?" Doctor added. "He's…"

"I'm Kai Velure, and don't you ever forget it!" A voice said from above them and as the three of them looked up; Kai dropped down to the deck and brushed invisible dirt off his top. "No child is going to be able to take me down, no matter what rank they may hold."

"Did you kill him?" Marshall asked, clearly stunned.

"Kill him? No, that would be too much of a waste." He smiled "Let's just say that the marines won't be underestimating me this time around."

Marshall actually sat down on the deck to prevent himself from falling over. "How was he?" Doctor asked with a sly grin on his face.

"Our Aokiji was stronger, although he does have a nifty little Devil Fruit ability. He'll certainly be an interesting fight when we get around to it." Kai replied, his smile similar to Doctor's. "But more importantly, Marshall, you need to go and man the helm."

Marshall shook his head to recover himself from the shock and used his arm to pull himself to his feet. "The helm, in the middle of the ocean? Are we not heading the right direction?"

"See, this is why you aren't the navigator…" he paused in thought. "Oh yeah, I'll have to add that to my list, I can't be doing everything now." He frowned and then shrugged and then turned back to the front of the ship. "See that?" he pointed forwards, but all Marshall could see was mist.

"I don't see anything." Marshall admitted, moving forward slightly to get a better look.

"Nemo, what about you? Can you see anything?" Kai was smiling wider now and even Doctor's smile had crept out.

Nemo walked to the front of the ship and leant on the railing to look as far forward as he could. "All I see is mist."

"Give it a minute and you will understand what I'm talking about…I suggest you keep your gaze a little bit higher then you would normally." Kai said, still smiling wildly.

A minute passed but still, only a mass amount of fog seemed to be in front of them; but then the shadow appeared. It was massive, rising so high into the sky that the top was hidden by the clouds. As they got a little bit closer, it was revealed to be a humungous wall of rock, the biggest cliff in the world.

"What is that?" Marshall said, amazed. Even Nemo had a look of awe on his face.

"That, my crew, is the Red Line. It has been many years, old friend." He muttered the last sentence and nodded respectfully to the mass of rock. "But now is not the time for dillydallying, Marshall man the helm! Nemo, get to the bow; you're to make sure we're not going to hit anything we shouldn't do. Doctor, to the crow's nest." Despite their amazement, Nemo and Marshall reacted to the order and moved off to their posts. Doctor, on the other hand, simply looked up to the top of the mast.

"There isn't a crow's nest…" he said, glancing at Kai.

"Oh yeah, we'll have to build one in. You'll just have to hang on real tight then." Kai said and when Doctor started to say something, he smiled. Doctor shook his head but leapt nimbly up the mast to take his position.

"Where are we going Kai, we're going to smash into the rocks!" Marshall cried, looking ahead at the wall.

"Don't panic. The size of the Red Line throws your sense of distance off. But more importantly, we're aiming for a waterway in the cliff; it should send us up the mountain."

"Mountain?" Nemo questioned, glancing back at Kai quickly.

"Keep your eyes to the front Nemo; if there are rocks in the water, you're the one who needs to tell us. But to answer your question, yes, I said a mountain. I think I've mentioned this before, but we're heading for Reverse Mountain, it's a unique mountain in that there are 5 waterways carved into its sides, each leading from a different Blue and into the Grand Line. That's not the unique bit though; the unique bit is that the waterways run _up _the mountain, and will carry and ship that gets into its current."

"We're going to sail _up _a mountain!" Marshall said, his eyes locked on the massive wall they were approaching.

"Exactly, now hold that bearing Marshall and don't waver. I'll lend a little bit of a hand." He dropped to one knee and crossed his arms, resting his fingers on the opposite shoulder. "Diamante, Cerro Gemelo Senda." Small bits of diamond floated off his body and then disappeared over the side of the ship. Suddenly, a bar of diamond appeared either side of the ship and created a pathway for Marshall to follow. "Keep to that and we shouldn't crash into the sides of the waterway…look, there it is!" Kai pointed forward just as an opening in the rock face appeared.

It was wide enough for a big ship and followed the side of the mountain into the air. Over the entrance, someone had created stylised arcs made of stone and wood; however, one of them had collapsed and was blocking the route.

"Doctor…" Kai started but Doctor had already leapt forward of the mast with an impressive jump and was aiming for the collapsed arc.

"Falling Axe!" he called out, and despite the distance between him and the blockade, the stone was blasted into rubble and disappeared under the surface of the water, freeing the route up for the ship to take. Doctor then looked down as he was about to hit the surface of the water and clasped his hat on his head before splashing down.

A second passed and then he reappeared, grabbing hold of one of Kai's diamond bars, lifting himself out of the water and expertly balancing on it. The current had now caught hold of the ship and it was pulling it forward at a greater speed, allowing Doctor to jump up from his perch and land on the deck. He shook himself off, and then without another word he launched himself to the top of the mast.

"Marshall, don't fight it now, we're in the current!" Kai shouted back to his crewmate, who had been holding the wheel in a vice grip. Marshall released his hold but the wheel hardly moved as the ship raced towards the entrance. "Brace yourselves!" he called just as the ship crashed into the incline of water.

There was a massive rise in the water and a wave crashed its way over the deck, knocking Nemo away from the railing and back into Kai, who caught him without looking. He deposited the soaking pirate on the deck and burst out laughing. "I'll never get tired of entering the Grand Line, although I wonder if the other Blues have to go through a similar thing." He jumped to the side and landed on the railing, holding onto the rigging to keep balance. "Now, for those of you new to this experience, hold onto your stomachs and behold the Grand Line!"

As he shouted the last two words, the ship finally crested the peak of the mountain and the crew was shown their destination from a once-likely position of the peak of Reverse Mountain. However, even with the beautiful view one had from looking into the distance, Kai's view was focused down the waterway to their exit.

"Something isn't right…" he said and rushed forward to lean on the railing. "Doctor, what's happening down there!" he shouted, looking up to Doctor, who had the best view.

"I don't know, I can't see because of this mist. But something is definitely wrong." He shouted back before dropping from the mast and landing on the deck. "It looks like someone's built some kind of dock-island or something."

"I don't like the sound of that, what of Laboon?"

"Laboon?" Nemo questioned but was ignored.

"I can't see him." Was Doctor's reply, a look of concern on his face.

"Then something is wrong, guys, prepare for the worst."

"What's the worst?" Marshall asked from his position at the wheel.

"We'll find out when we get there. Look, there's the exit." He pointed again and sure enough, the waterway suddenly opened out to a large sea, except that it didn't.

Although there was a large space of water for them to land in, they soon discovered that they were in a semi-circle dock like area, with a number of ships moored up against this side. Except that on closer inspection, it looked like the ships had been abandoned; some of them had even started to fall apart.

"What is this?" Marshall asked, finally giving up his position and walking up to where the others were standing.

"Unnatural is what this is." Doctor replied, surveying their surroundings. "This shouldn't be here."

"Doctor, park us up on the right over there, away from the other ships. We'll disembark there and find out just what the hell is going on here."

Doctor nodded and jogged over to where Marshall had been moments before to take up the wheel. Just like in Yew City, he was surprisingly talented at steering the ship towards dock, and when they were close enough, Kai sent Nemo over the edge of the ship to tie the mooring rope.

"Doctor, drop the anchor and meet on 'shore'" He said the word 'shore' with clear sarcasm, and anger, as he jumped over the side and landed on the wooden decking.

Kai surveyed what he could see but the thick mist prevented him from seeing much, what he could see was some kind of sign pointing them to go in a certain direction. "Look, there's a sign and everything, come on." He said, just as Doctor joined them.

They walked through the mist, Kai taking the lead and Doctor at the rear, following the signs until shadows started appearing. They were high up and strange and when Kai went to investigate one of them, his body started to shake in anger. Doctor noticed this immediately and rushed forward to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Kai?" He questioned, ready to react to an outburst.

"I'm under control, but look at that." Kai said and raised a hand to what he had been looking out. Doctor followed his gesture and froze when he saw what it was, his hand gripping down on Kai's shoulder with more force.

It was a cross, with a figure nailed to it by the wrists and ankles; a small platform under its feet stopped it from ripping itself free from gravity. The figure was malnourished, his hair was falling out, and he was dead. By the looks of it he had been dead for a number of years.

"Who the hell…" he started, looking behind the cross to see hundreds more set up on the wooden island. "Just, who the hell would do this?"

"Hell…hello…?" A voice croaked from the mist and Kai immediately pinpointed the voice and rushed over to another person nailed to a cross, but this one was alive. As Kai got closer he recognised the distinctive hairstyle and half-beard.

"Crocus…" Kai said, looking up at the former member of Gol D Rogers' crew and carer for the whale Laboon. "What happened here?"

_A/N: Oh noes, what heinous creature would do this to our lovable Crocus? More importantly, where the hell is Laboon? Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way…and so the penultimate chapter comes to a close and the final chapter follows! The end is nigh I tell you!_


	56. The Laboon Slayer

_A/N: So here it is at last; the first ending of a story I've ever written (Crazy, I know, but I've never actually finished one before). This is the final chapter of One Piece Full Throttle and I hope you enjoy it._

**The Laboon Slayer**

"Crocus, what happened here?" Kai said, his body shaking slightly with the fury he felt building up inside. Nemo and Marshall hung back, sensing the mood from Kai.

"Kai, wait." Doctor said before he gingerly leapt up to Crocus, placing his feet on the side of the small platform and latching his hand around the upper part of the cross, behind Crocus' head. He did a quick check over with his free hand but suddenly stopped at the old mans chest. He lifted the shirt up and looked at the injuries spread across the man's chest.

There were gauges made by blades, welts made by whips, and a large variety of other wounds implemented in different ways. Doctor looked sadly at Crocus, who nodded slowly, before dropping back to the ground. He walked up to Kai and bent close to his ear. "Make it count; he does not have long left." He muttered before walking to stand by Marshall and Nemo.

Kai started to speak but Crocus interrupted him. "Do not worry yourself; I know my time is near." His voice was weak, and he croaked a word ever now and again, but he kept at it. "I have been holding on, hoping for the point where a strong person would enter the Grand Line in time. To think it would be the great 'Diamond Leg' is beyond my imagination." He paused as a fit of coughing overcame his weak body, but he continued despite that fact. "But at least you will be able to put a stop to it. They call themselves the 'Order of the White Eagle'…" Kai perked up at the name, using monumental willpower to prevent himself exploding in anger. "…and they plan to rule the world."

"Rule the world?" Kai said, resisting the urge to raise an eyebrow at such a ridiculous notion.

"I thought the same thing…" Crocus said, straining a half smile onto his face. "…but they are serious. From what I could gather, they are a massive organisation, ranging across all four seas; with the Grand Line next on their list. Their leader has already made it into the New World…he left here a week ago."

"No." Kai said, imagining how such a person could exist. "Even if he had an Eternal Pose to Fishman Isle or something, to sail that far in such a short time is impossible."

"Yet, I fear it is true; my source was very thorough. But more importantly, their Second-In-Command is here, running the Grand Line operation. He is a terrifying man, even you will have trouble facing him, you must…"

"That is enough, Crocus, my friend." Kai said, silencing the old man. "I will deal with this 'Order' but what has happened to Laboon?"

Crocus didn't answer straight away, instead a tears started to stream from his eyes. "He killed him…" he managed. "He killed him to feed his army."

Kai stared into nothing, his rage building up inside him until he was on the brink of losing it. His power was so potent that some of it was leaking out and the planks beneath his feet cracked and splintered. His body had surpassed the point of shaking in rage; it was at the point of destruction.

"Crocus…consider him and his organisation dead." Kai said before walking forwards, passing Crocus and heading into the mist.

Doctor walked forward slowly and stopped in front of Crocus. "He'll do the right thing, Crocus; you know it as well as I do." Crocus nodded before his head dropped to his unmoving chest. "Rest easy friend." Doctor said with a bow of his own head. "Nemo, Marshall, come on; Kai will need back up." Neither Nemo nor Marshall spoke as they followed after Doctor.

Kai strode forward, deliberately ignoring the masses of crucified people that surround him, and followed the signs that indicated 'Processing'. He had forgotten about his crew and was instead focused on the deaths he was about to make happen.

Suddenly the mist cleared out, but it was replaced with a downpour of rain; torrential. Kai was soaked in seconds but he didn't even notice as he walked forwards to a large metal fence topped with vicious looking spikes. Directly in front of him was a closed gate with 4 uniformed guards sat on chairs in front of it, they had formed a circle and were playing cards. Their uniforms matched those of the White Eagle soldiers Kai had already come across; beige, loose fitting fabric under steel cuirasses, metal backed leather gloves, and metal fronted boots. Each of them had a sabre strapped to their left hip and a long, wooden shafted spear lay near each of them.

As Kai neared them, one of them looked in his direction and jumped to his feet; grabbing his spear and gesturing for the others to do the same. "Stop right there!" he ordered, raising a hand with palm facing Kai. When Kai didn't come to a stop he tightened his grip on his spear and spoke again, this time louder. "Stop or be considered hostile."

Kai continued walking forwards and the soldier levelled his spear towards him, the other three copied him and they all stepped forward as one. Kai finally looked at them and the four of them suddenly wobbled on their legs, their eyes rolling into the back of their heads, before collapsing to the floor. At the same time, the gate smashed open and fell off its hinges. Kai was now in a narrow corridor of fencing, with another large fence in front of him, although this one had no gate. He didn't even stop as he grabbed the fence and tore it free, tossing it to the side before entering the camp.

The camp seemed to have been set up in circles, with fires scattered about between white tents. There were soldiers everywhere, all dressed immaculately in identical uniforms, carrying swords, spears and shields. The tents had been set out so uniformly that once Kai had moved to the side to go past one of them, he had a clear path all the way to the centre. A number of the soldiers saw him and moved to intercept, but one glance from him and they were all rendered unconscious.

Eventually, he came upon a massive fire and a tent which looked much better furnished then all the others one before. As Kai stepped into the centre, the soldiers there were already on guard and formed a line of shields in front of him, the fire glaring over their shoulders.

"Halt. Surrender yourself or prepare for death." A soldier said from behind the line, cloak on his shoulders indicating some sort of rank. "I don't know how you managed to enter here, but I am placing you under arrest."

"Enough, Commander Lyon." Another voice said, radiating out of the well-furnished tent. "He has managed to make it this far without trouble; I would like to see this man."

"Sir, to let a stranger enter the Tent of the Immortals…it is unprecedented." The Commander named Lyon said.

"Don't worry yourself, he will not enter this tent." The voice said just as a figure appeared in the flap of the doorway.

The figure who stepped out of it was massive, nearly twice as tall as Kai. His hair was short, bristly, and pitch black, and his eyes were bright orange. His skin was tanned dark from what could be seen. The reason why not much of his skin was on show was because he was wearing full suit of armour; although it was unique in its appearance. It was plated with matt black plates and ran from his neck to his toes, covering every inch of his body. The only bits slightly different from the rest were the joints, where a small circle could be seen to allow rotation of the body parts. Over the top of that he wore a ragged brown cloak that ran down to his ankles. Also, a strange bar-like object ran up from his right shoulder.

"Vice-General, sir!" Command Lyon said and dropped down to one knee, bowing his head as low to the ground as humanly possible.

"Stand up, Commander, and keep your eyes on the enemy." The Vice-General said as Lyon stood up and turned to face Kai. "I am Rokushii Hartland, Vice-General to the Order of the White Eagle; who might you be?" he asked, gazing at Kai with eyes as deep as the ocean.

Kai didn't answer, instead he raised a hand a pointed at Rokushii. "Are you the one who killed Laboon?"

Rokushii thought for a second and then realisation appeared on his face. "The whale? Yes, that meat will last for months, feeding my army."

"I see, what about the crosses at the entrance?"

"I can't take credit for that one; it was all the Captain's idea, but it sure is brilliant, a perfect reminder for any unruly pirates coming through here…like you."

"Your Captain? He will be second to die, but first, I'm going to kill you." Kai said and with no warning at all, he disappeared.

The line of soldiers jerked in surprise and Lyon looked around wildly, trying to catch a glimpse of where his opponent had gone. Kai appeared a couple of steps in front of Rokushii, his arms pulled back behind him. Rokushii didn't react; he simply stood there as Kai approached at a great speed with anger clear on his face. As he moved in to striking distance, he launched into a punch that looked like it would shatter planets.

At the last second, a foot from hitting Rokushii, Kai's fist clashed against a black shield and stopped dead. Kai couldn't even register his surprise before the tip of a spear was heading for his face. He bent his body back, the spear passing millimetres in front of his nose, and then twisted to avoid the attack, coming to a stop near the line of soldiers from before. Instantly the soldiers spun around, and formed the wall of shields in Kai's direction, spears levelled over the top.

"This is the Captain I mentioned. Introduce yourself brother." Rokushii said as a figure emerged behind the shield.

He looked very much like his brother, the tanned skin, the black hair and most prominently his orange eyes. The only difference between him and his brother was height, and the fact that his hair was longer, and shaggier. He was also wearing different armour; it was in the style of the standard one but instead of shined steel it was matt black plates. It was like someone had mixed the armour of Rokushii with the standard armour. The circular shield he had on his arm was large, enough to cover his body if he crouched down, and was a light grey with a black outline, and a golden eagle was carved into the centre. The spear he had in his other hand seemed to be made of metal completely, the shaft being grey and the tip being a shined black.

"I am Lester Hartland; Captain of the Amplitudo Primoris. No man will lay his hand on the Vice-General." His voice was sharp and clear and full of determination.

"In fact, I was just about to leave. Captain Hartland will take care of you…and your friends." As he said this, Marshall appeared from behind the tent and dashed towards Rokushii; at the same time, Nemo appeared on the opposite side and charged forward as well.

Lester turned to move, but a look from Rokushii made him turn back to Kai as Marshall and Nemo attacked. Marshall, being the taller of the two, swung his sword high, aiming to cut Rokushii's head off. Nemo went in low and was aiming to hit the weak points at the back of his knees.

Rokushii only moved fractionally; he turned his leg to the side and caught Nemo's pipe with his armoured shin, and he lifted his arm and blocked Marshall's strike with an armoured forearm. "Oh, one of the 12; it is a shame it is in the hands of such an amateur." He said, noting Ryujin Toorima that Marshall held. He sighed and with another slight twisting motion, both Marshall and Nemo were sent flying; in opposite directions. Both of them crashed into a tent and the fabric collapsed around them.

"Now, the General calls so I must leave you for the Captain to deal with." He frowned and started to walk off but stopped and turned back to Lester. "Do not destroy that one's swords; adding two of the 12 to my collection will be most beneficial." Lester nodded in reply, his eyes never leaving Kai as he held his shield in front of him with his spear resting near the top. "Goodbye, we will never see each other again." He chuckled slightly and then disappeared behind his tent.

The anger in Kai's seemed to have simmered to nothing more than a heated gaze, but anyone who knew him would know that that was his most dangerous state. As he stood there, his hands held loosely by his sides and his eyes opened wide, the invisible energy he had shown other times started to leak from his body. It was so potent that his hair ruffled and the loose parts of his clothing waved like they were caught in an updraft. Even more unsettling was the veins of diamond that was running across his skin, creeping its way across his face.

"Your death is imminent" Kai said as the floor beneath him cracked and splintered. "I will tear you apart, I will tear this whole damn organisation apart; man by god damn man."

_**To be continued in…**_

**One Piece Full Throttle**

**Rise of the Eagle**


	57. AN: The Final Author's Note

_The Final Author's Note_

_Well, there you have it, the end of One Piece Full Throttle. As mentioned at the beginning of the last chapter, this is the first story I've actually managed to complete right to the very end. It is true enough that there is a sequel in the works (meaning, the story hasn't really ended) but I'm still majorly stoked about being able to mark this down as a 'complete' story on this site._

_Now, for those of you who submitted characters which haven't appeared yet; don't panic! All of the characters I accepted have already been planned into the sequels at various points and all will have their shining moments. In fact, there are some truly awesome bits which I'm sure you guys and gals will enjoy. :)_

_Now I'd like to thank all of the users who submitted characters which did appear in this story. I hope I portrayed them as you wanted (or at the very least liked) and they've certainly given me some awesomeness to play around with. Obviously, your characters are still in the game so keep an eye out for more coolness coming from them in the near future._

_Speaking of the near future, I should probably mention something about the sequel; OPFT Rise of the Eagle. I'm afraid you'll have to live with the cliff hanger I wrote for a little while as I am going to be publishing another story altogether before getting back to the OPFT series. But don't panic, the interim story won't be anywhere near as long as this one was and going by the fact I've written the majority of it already, I should be able to keep to my release schedule as I've planned (hopefully)._

_Also, feel free to check out my new story if your into Superman (and if you're not, why the hell not!) and superheroes and the like. Although it's not quite the heroes everyone knows._

_Anyway, I think I've rambled on long enough now. Once again I thank all of you who submitted characters to me, and I also thank you all for the reviews you've posted on here. So, I bid you farewell and we shall see each other again (if not before) when OPFT Rise of the Eagle appears on FF in the futre._

_Ta ra for now!_

_Yajuu-Kikuishi_


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